Rock star risk
I see one of America's grandest columnists is picking up on our discussion of America's strength through diversity and renewal. He makes an interesting point about the occasional merits of the command approach. It's about the infrastructure (London 2012 is well aware of this) and the ability of advanced economies to renew and modernise it while maintaining fundamental freedoms - such as the freedom not to be over-taxed.
America does have an aversion to tax and a creaking infrastructure (anyone who comes here from Western Europe or the advanced bits of Asia notices that stuff doesn't work very well) which is one of the things Obama might fix, particularly if infrastructure investment becomes a way of keeping employment up in a recession.
As the Biden news sinks in, not everyone is pleased, and a grumpy elderly person complains to me that a 3am text message is hardly the sure-footed campaign management we witter on about. Au contraire: for one thing Obamaniacs are up all night - famously - and anyway in Hollywood it was only midnight (and in Berlin where many of his keenest fans live it was 8 or 9 in the morning).
I still think the Biden risk is that he will outshine the younger fellow - his speech later this week here in Denver (just arrived, hot and long queues) could be a real corker of focused genial knife twisting. Obama cannot do that. He may look even more like a rock star after the week - a rock star who has employed a politician to do his work for him.
Hello, I'm 
© MMIX~RS~q~RS~~RS~z~RS~21~RS~)
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If the function of Senator Biden will be as indicated, I think that redounds to the great credit of Obama.
As the game unfolds, my respect for the Obama team increases.
Pundits repeating the catch phrases of the week- rather than digging into the issues- do not serve the public well.
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I'm with Xie_Ming on this. There's a saying in Scotland, "Why keep a dog and bark?"
;-)
ed
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Biden may, indeed, outshine Obama among blue collar workers, which is one of the reasons he was picked for the VP spot. Should that happen, Obama would be delighted. What would upset Obama is the opposite, that is, if Biden blue collar appeal does not materialize and he continues to lose ground to McCain.
Our infrastructure is definitely in an advanced state of disrepair and, in some cases, we have fallen behind other developed countries. Incredibly, our politicians don't hesitate to spend $10B a month in Iraq while our roads, bridges, tunnels and levees are collapsing; and our factories (those that are still operational) have fallen so far behind technologically that they are no longer competitive.
In fairness to Presidents Reagan and George W. Bush their trickle down economics, deregulation, and borrow and spend tendencies are simply a reflection of a society accustomed to get whatever they want, regardless of whether or not they can afford it. It should be obvious to everyone by now that our electorate remains ambivalent to the fiscal and economic disaster that threatens our future and that we are more inclined to vote for someone who believes life starts at conception or who opines that homosexuality is the work of the devil than invest in the future of our country.
Our country needs the leadership and vision that helped us overcome the effects of the Great Depression and paved the way to unprecedented prosperity.
I am not sure either candidate is up to the challenge, but of the two the one that comes closest to make some inroads towards a more prosperous future is Obama. Clearly, the last thing we need is to stay the course.
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Another contender enters the ring??
Mark Farner, formerly with a well-known 70's rock band Grand Funk Railroad who sold over 50 million records, has come out with a song called, "If I was the President."
Found it at this website where it has a music video too:
[Unsuitable/Broken URL removed by Moderator]
Will this guy actually be running for president?
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Biden was a wise move, even if some grumpy old geezer didn't think so. As to Biden's outshining Obama, what is more likely is that Obama will pick up tips from him on livening his campaign.
It is not in Biden's best interests to outshine Obama. He wants his boss elected, doesn't he?
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Tom Friedman must have been watching a different Olympics if he's calling it a success for America and thinks our team looks like the world.
33 foreign-born out of 597 total is actually disappointingly low, and the gold-medal take was embarrassing, particularly in track, the centerpiece of the olympics. Michael Phelps rocks, but he earned almost a quarter of our golds which says something about the rest of the team.
The Chinese team for their part reminds me of the Florida Marlins world series champs a few years ago. Their success is essentially bought by a huge investment from the team owners. But they have the money to repeat it. Come on America, we can and must do better in supporting and investing on our athletes.
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#1
Another issue that won't go away: the role of the Southern Baptist Convention through Richard Land of their "Public Policy Operation".
The tactic has changed somewhat. Land now presents URLs of others who present his recommended views.
Check:
http://erlc.com/
And, of course, Israel is fostered [remember your salvation depends on its well-being and Rapture must arise from Armageddon in the Near East!]
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Odd that the "younger fellow" shall be/well be/has been outshone by the experienced/sagacious Biden. If this is a turn off for voters, the alternative is not much better...the "younger VP" (can't be anything but younger!!) to the very much older sagacious even avuncular "older fellow" shall end up like a father and son or grandson ticket.
But this is interestingly a juxtaposition of the old and the new.....one is forward looking for change from old ways to new, the other is keeping an eye on the past with the old ways with a slight look fwd with the new..
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One of Britain's grandest columnists comments on the choice Mr Obama has made and concludes "Biden is no threat to Obama - but no asset." An interesting viewpoint.
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Biden sent a video to Obama supporters assuring them he was a team player and here to help Obama win in November. He is not in this to be President, he is in it to help Obama fix the problems we have. As he points out, Obama and he have similar roots and values. They get along well, and Biden is not going to upstage Obama.
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2, Ed.
Actually I am hoping Obama will learn to bark and attack.
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6, Ralph.
Actually I don't understand all this olympics stuff. Do we judge a country's surperiority by how well it does in the olympics?
That is so dumb!
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Quite off election topics, Justin writes "anyone who comes here from Western Europe or the advanced bits of Asia notices that stuff doesn't work very well." What "stuff" doesn't work very well? We've had hot showers far longer than those in the UK along with personal hygiene products for men as well as women; our highways are longer, wider and better signed than those across the Atlantic, the Jacuzzi was invented here, catalytic converters were introduced here, we have air conditioning and warm houses (without an additional woolie), more TV stations than you can shake a stick at, GPS (SatNav) systems long before Europe, decent sized refrigerators and freezers, over-the-range microwave ovens - the list is endless. What "stuff" doesn't work? If it's rail travel, then there's a point, but little else. I just returned from a month in Europe and found nothing inherently superior as far as consumer items were concerned. One thing though, taxi drivers in London are far faster than their counterparts in Los Angeles!
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First high taxes are a failed economic policy.
Second the infastructure improvements are being hampered by the fact we can't do it efficently through privitzation with non union sources.
It has been proven a corporation or business unhampered by Union patronage works moreefficently.
I point to Massachusetts which is victimized by Union favoritism laws.
Biden is safe pick but as he could get votes for himself how he is going to draw new voters to Obama?
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Justin,
Not that politics is my thing, but most of those complaining about Biden seem to be folks who still can't get over Hillary losing. It seems to me to be an inspired choice, bringing some strengths that balance Obama's. With Hillary now agreeing to hand over her delegates onW ednesday evening the choice is now stark for PUMAs. Do they want Obama, or McCain. The rest is history.
As a registered independant the choice is becoming interesting. A young slick Senator with potential vs an old geezer. I guess the key question for me now is will McCain pick someone capable of being president in case he croaks in office, statistically a quite high probability.
BTW, I do agree about the infrastructure. And the roads. So at risk of going into a 'What have the Romans ever done for us' I'll leave it there for the night.
Sleep well,
Sam
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I'm a little puzzled by all this. Justin shows concern that Biden might "outshine" Obama as a politician and that Obama might come over as a "rock star who has employed a politician to do his work for him".
Do successful campaigns (in these post-New Labour days at least) not NEED to be fronted by someone that young people can identify with, who seems to understand modern trends and concerns if they want to have mass appeal? Tony Blair tried to look like a rock star, even inviting Noel Gallagher over to talk about guitar chords over a glass of champagne. I'd be very surprised if Barack Obama and his team are in the least bit concerned by a label such as "rock star"; I suspect they'd be rather flattered actually and see it as confirmation that what they're trying to achieve 'spin-wise' is working.
Do successful campaigns not NEED to have a reassuring, underlying plausibility and confidence? A sense of experience and intellect? Perhaps Barack Obama recognised that he perhaps did not score 10/10 on this front (unlike, clearly, his "rock star" credentials) and so made a WISE POLITICAL DECISION and employed a man with a reassuring, underlying plausibility and confidence, a sense of experience and intellect to be his running-mate.
So, to me, Obama actually CONFIRMS his own political shrewdness by asking a man with Biden's CV to be his potential Vice-President. As I mentioned in a previous comment, what else would you have had Obama do? Get Eddie Murphy or Michael Stipe on board?! OF COURSE he was going to opt for a man that fills the gaps created by his perceived weaknesses.
And on the matter of Biden outshining Obama, perhaps he will demonstrate rhetorical and argumentative skills that are more developed than those of Obama himself.
But, seeing as we already are using it, let's take the "rock star" analogy a step further. Don't most successful rock groups have the charismatic front man out centre stage? The Rolling Stones have Mick Jagger in the limelight, not the sensible, quieter Charlie Watts. He stays out the back on drums, holding everything together. REM have Michael Stipe, with agriculture fan Bill Berry on the drums (prior to leaving to do some full time farming).
The Democrats have Barack Obama. The limelight is, rightfully, his. Let Biden play his role, and he will play it well. He doesn't need to be on lead vocals.
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#13
Perhaps something can be made of this:
London taxi drivers develop a larger part of their brains (the hippocampus) from learning their routes.
This has been measured over time!
_____________________
Now, can we make a jump to the learning that might take place from reading other and different sources ?
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13, David.
Valid, except for the highways. Of course ours are longer and wider. Our country and population is huge and the distances we travel are longer. Also, for the most part, we do not have rail service which, as you say, is better across the Atlantic.
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15, Sam, fellow independent.
It has been my thought that McCain might die in office, given his present appearance. Like you I think that, on the off chance that he is elected, that his running mate if of particular importance.
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16, campantman.
Terms like "rock star" and "celebrity" and "obomamania are" terms tossed about by the opposition to make him look insubstantial. The technique has been very successful.
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13, 18
To be fair the main highways in Europe have infinitely better surfaces for driving. Anyone driving on the Autobahn then trying to drive at any speed on I95 or the NJ Turnpike could make that comparison in a second. If you have a sports car it is very frustrating that you can't drive it even close to it's limits in the US. Not true in Europe. Forget about a super car.
I would say kitchen appliances, public transport, quality of food, journalism and of course beer are generally better in Europe. A lot of our good stuff was designed there. Ranges in the US are awful, unless you buy a Wolfe. Drawer microwaves and dishwashers are European inventions, designed for the small kitchen. Few Europeans have Jacuzzi's because frankly they don't have the climate in N Europe to ever use it. Drive in London or Rome for a day and you'll realize why SATNav hasn;t caught on.
They have the same crappy TV stations we do, though the BBC and Channel 4 produce some good drama and comedy.
Have to go to bed,
Tired Sam
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"Grandest Columnist" -- not outside the Left coast Justin. You really need to do that Route 66 trip and finally get around to meeting the Americans who make up America's backbone.
Justin you wrote:
"I still think the Biden risk is that he will outshine the younger fellow - his speech later this week here in Denver (just arrived, hot and long queues) could be a real corker of focused genial knife twisting."
But don't you wonder who Biden will plagiarize this time?
And as for the infrastructure in the US -- you are right but three factors are usually ignored by detractors:
1:) The billions of dollars the US has spent protecting Europe for decades and other parts of the world rather than investing in our own infrastructure. You are welcome.
2.) The vastness of the US and its relatively low population density compared to Europe and Asia.
3.) Much of the US endures through harsh Artic-like winters and tropical-like summers. The freezing, thawing, freezing and baking takes it toll. Where is that Global Warming we have been promised?
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In reply to #21, SamTyler1969 :
Odd, my view of the comparison of the Autobahn to the US was the opposite. Much of the US interstate freeways are maintained to a much higher level of repair than the AB, and in the US they are mostly limited to 112 km/h.
I haven't driven in NJ much, so that may be the difference. Perhaps that one is worn out from over use. To be fair, there are no German cities comparable to the density of the NY/NJ area.
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What a crock of meatball journalism from Thomas Friedman and Justin Webb buys right into it. We can teach you, you can teach us, kumbayah, kumbayah, kumbayah. We heard the same crap from deVillepin and Sarkozy last year. There is nothing that China or Europe knows or has that the US does not also know or doesn't have or couldn't have if it wanted it. China has and will pay for its meteoric rise in isolated pockets, with a population that is aging, monolithic, and will die of horrible diseases at a young age. Hundreds of millions will be angry and disappointed when they don't get what they will consider their fair share. All of this has been enabled by American investment circumventing over a century of environmental and worker's rights laws in the US. China is the world's largest cesspool of industrial pollution with India running a close second. What of China's infrastructure? It doesn't have one outside of relatively small pockets. Reporters made a big deal out of the potability of tap water in the athlete's residences, evidently a rarity in China. No place in the US doesn't have potable tap water. Don't tell me how well Europe's infrastructure is designed and maintained. Every bolt of lightening during an electrical storm knocked out power when I lived there. Electrical hardware was junk by American standards. That's one thing I do know something about.
The top down command approach to government and business management is generally worthless in large corporations and usually only of value in managing a crisis. The overriding principle of American management of large corporations and of government is to push power away from the center and then hold those who are empowered accountable for their actions. In this way, the most capable rise to the top. China cannot attract and foster the kind of talent America routinely does any more than Europe can. Neither has a single example of a Bill Gates, a Steve Jobs, or a Barack Obama or countless other unique success stories. They never will. Their culture thwarts those people. That's why the gravitate to the US.
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#23 Frigid
What section of the interstae is better than what section of the Autobahn, in your opinion?
Sorry to be pushy, but bland statements are awfully easy to throw out there. What sectio n of each do you drive and when? The M25 has a better surface than 90% of US interstates, is wider than 80% of I roads and still sucks. The Autobahn, Autostrasse etc kick its butt. Plus I5's, I95's, I 80's, I76's. Those are the main roads I drive. I could be wrong but generally I spend more time on interstates worrying about pot holes than driving.
Then drive through Manhattan and Roma and tell me which has the worse roads. BTW Rome is one of the worst in Europe.
And another infrastructure issue, when was the last time Western Europe suffered a major multi city Blackout? Due to tree trimming? Ginne a break guys, we are in denial over here.
Picky Sam
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You and others are unable yet to understand what Obama is doing?
He is transforming himself from Obama=Change to Obama="Fighter for Middle Class". If he does not do that he will not win. This is how every president won so so far. If he does not show how he will govern and stayed head in the cloud he will not win.
It is not easy to transfer yourself that easy and that quick. He was trying in Va. last week and he is getting there but hopefully McCain will keep forgetting how many homes he owns. Clinton also could give a hand but if this guy is really Obama the people are talking about and see, he will rise to the moment. Otherwise he will not be elected no matter what he does.
One more thing, I have a sense we will not much of Biden on the campaign trial.
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23, Real.
Traffic is so heavy on the NJ Turnpike that if they have to work on only one lane (there are four each way) cars and trucks move for miles at a snail's pace. The closer you get to New York the worse it is.
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Anybody else think that McCain is hiding a FEMALE VP candidate? Seems like that would be his best bet, especially if any of Hilrod's more bitter minions get out of whack at the Dem's convention.
On the other hand, so many neo-con females at the 'top' are such a turn-off that they make Hilrod seem like a real sweetheart. (That hilarious Obama-supporter's sign at the Berlin rally leaps to mind - in response to grumpy German neo-con Angela Merkel: "Obama for Chancellor!" [of Germany]!!!! :D HAHA!)
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Nobama and Binhiding, What a bumper sticker, and it leaves me out of this arena of discussion.
Opinions, now that I got.
Jay Dubya, really love the set up, but this is supposed to be 'a political look at America' kinda site, and thought it is, we seem to really love Nobama here. Whats that? Oh yeah, he's a celebrity and thus makes the Headlines and tallies two hundred ninety posts.
Less seriously, on that celeb an messiah angle, it isn't a put down nor an anti- campaign tactic, it;s a media circus that has imploded his credentails and portrayed Nobama as,... a celeb or messiah.
Look, when the big three networks and the Clinton News Network all fly around the world for the ten, maybe ten minutes of coverage that was generally viewed by less than half of Americans, the resulting adoration of the media, I believe hurt Nobama Hussein. I heard more about the gang coverage than about Nobama.
give me paris, not france
:) ummmmmmm:)
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Just drove from Texas, Dallas area to Little Rock in Arkansas, 160 or so miles round trip, at eighty miles an hour in an Eclipse, Mitsubitshi, nice car, fun driving a ground level rocket ship. Roads out this way, interstate and state, smooth,straight and wide. The truckers that try to another at sixty mph by doing sixty two mph will drive ya nuts.
Shame though, got to sell this one. Ticket machine and hard on the insurance.
vroom vroom next vehical
pedal down Doug
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26, Magna.
Why do you think we won't see much of Biden on the campaign trail?
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#30
Doug,
We have to get you watching top gear.
Vroom vroom, toot toot!
Sam
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#21. SamTyler1969 - Having maintained homes on both sides of the pond, I cannot agree with you in the least about kitchen appliances - only very recently have large refrigerators been seen, and I mean the kind many (most) of us have in the US. Ordinary ranges in the UK are not a patch on what we can buy here, and Wolfe/Aga don't count for the average consumer. The microwave was developed in the US and having lived here over 40 years I can't recall a time when I didn't have one. Washers, driers (dryers?) and dishwashers were unknown in Europe and Britain did not introduce colour television until the 1970s. If you were born in 1969, as your name suggests, then you would not recall how appalling British kitchens were. They have of course caught up, but in my view everything in my kitchen is vastly superior to anything found in a comparable house in Britain.
Food is of course an objective opinion, but there is far too much cleverness masqueradiing as "good food" all across the European continent. And have you ever had an English sandwich? The popular sandwich shops which proliferate in London sell those which are three-quarters bread and one quarter filling - here it is the other way around!
SatNav has caught on in the UK - one of the largest makers is located there - the problem is that too often the routes end up in rivers or fields. And a Jacuzzi has nothing to do with the weather - it's a matter of bodily comfort, spa bubbles "massaging" the body. Wonderful after a hard day and guaranteed to bring sleep when hitting the hay.
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I remember something about Britain that no one would like to mention and I even wonder if I should.
Let me first say that it is no longer true.
When I first went to England I was appalled at the dirty kitchen habits. After I saw my friends wiping off dishes with a greasy rag (ugh), I could no longer eat without cringing.
I have an older brother who was a sailor on a US destroyer during World War Two, He had occasion to visit British ships. (The Americans and the Brits would exchange food to provide variety. Usually we had oranges to trade.)
He could not believe how filthy the British ships were. Even the sailors weren't clean. On my brother's ship all they ever did was swab this and scour that. They had washable woolen uniforms which they regularly scrubbed.
I expect a lot of responses to this. None of them pleasant.
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I just have to say that America is vast and conditions vary greatly for our infrastructure. It is not uniformly underfunded or uniformly superb. Each state controls their infrastructure and can sometimes get matching federal money, so it is up to them individually to keep maintenance up. That's why when traveling along an interstate crossing from one state to the next you will see huge differences in the quality.
The appliances argument is a bit ridiculous. I don't even want to get into that.
And I think Biden is a great choice for Obama's VP!
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Further to #34.
A couple of other things come to mind. At my daughters' school in England (not all that long ago) baths were limited (I think two a week in a partially full tub). My girls were always in trouble for sneaking extra baths. This was a top school, by the way.
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In reply to #25, SamTyler1969:
"What section of the interstate is better than what section of the Autobahn, in your opinion?"
When I'm in the States and need to drive, I tend to find myself by major cities like Chicago, Dallas, LA, San Diego, Kansas City, Seattle, etc. When I go to NY, I tend to be on Long Island, or Manhattan and find it easier to use taxi's or the subway.
I've found the most frustrating places to drive in Europe are Athens, Rome, and Paris (in that order). I tend to then also drive in, find a garage to leave the car, then take public transit or taxi's during my stay.
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37, Real.
New Yorkers tend to walk, if the distance is not too great. Otherwose the subway is the best bet. A group of southerners came to the city and were surprised, not only that people were walking, but that women in fur coats were walking. They equated walking with poverty.
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Come on Justin-just link directly to Fox News like you want to! The links that you say that people are not happy with the choice include Bill Kristol-about as far to the right as anyone could imagine and who would disparage any choice Mr Obama made.
Anyone who thinks that Thomas Friedman is a grand columnist should first view his "suck on this" talk about the Iraq invasion. In my view this would disqualify him from any serious discussion regarding anything at all.
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=HOF6ZeUvgXs
It is instructive to note that Justin Webb takes a view that this is someone we should take notice of.
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#35 "The appliances argument is a bit ridiculous. I don't even want to get into that." So why mention it? :)
#37 - I always have a chauffeur to negotiate the terrible traffic . . .
Allmymarbles - out of curiosity, when did you first go to England - and where? They have had hot water for quite a long time!
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No flies on Biden? We’ve only just begun!
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I love how hauty, pontifical Europeans complain about our infrastructure here in the US. Not that there are not problems of course...anybody with any sense would not deny this but still...you explain to me Mr. Webb how a state such as Wyoming where I live, which is slightly greater in land area than the entire UK and with only 522,000 people, can be expected to maintain the infrastructure similiar to a geographical area with roughly 60 million people! It cannot be done and nor should it! A specious argument to say the least....
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On the subject of Biden outshining Obama, I don't think that there is any fear of this. Obama outshone Biden so thoroughly at the primary stage that the man couldn't even get his feet on the ladder.
To the outside observer, it would seem that what Biden WILL do is to outshine McCain. Whilst they are both experienced old pols who have stuck the course, Biden comes across as the winner in terms of sheer likeability and his back story has a far more attractive appeal to your ordinary average voter.
I was impressed by Obama's confidence in his pick. There was none of the usual "it was a very difficult choice" blurb. He announced that this was his man for the job and the very same day the pair of them hit the trail.
They came across as relaxed and happy together and Obama has given McCain a real challenge in picking his own running mate.
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40, David.
Fair question. My brother was in the navy until 1945. I first went to England in 1956. I was just out of school and I visited Scandinavia and England.
The people I stayed with were not poor. Not rich, but not poor. They were relatives of a friend from the States and they were very kind to me. They took me into their crowd of friends, who were a little older than I was, and we spent some time on a boat one of them owned, and went visiting. I only went as far north as Nottingham (from where I was staying in London).
Even though it was only September I was very cold - I guess from the damp - and I wore a winter coat. It was my first time abroad.
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40, David.
If we are talking about cleanliness, and I have not idea why I brought the subject up, two of the cleanest places I have ever been in are the Ivory Coast and Iran. In Iran they even consider cooking smells dirty and will open all the windows, in the middle of winter, to clear them out.
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40, David.
In terms of creature comforts I think the Americans have always been more indulgent than the British.
When I was a little girl, for instance, and by now you know how old I am, we didn't have fireplaces. We had a coal furnace that vented hot air thoughout the house. And this was not a mansion, just an ordinary two-story white house with maybe eight rooms that somebody's father built. We had a boiler for hot water.
I think the British have enjoy their stoicism. When two of my girls were at school in England, the house mistress insisted on keeping the window open in the middle of winter, even though the heat was virtually nonexistent, so that their "skin could breathe." Some of the girls, not mine thank goodness, had chilblains. I think those are unknown in the States. At least I have never known anyone who had them.
I don't know what my son's existence, further north, was like. Boys never tell you anything. All I ever heard from him were the jokes they played on the other houses (and the housemaster).
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On the infrastructure thing, it's hard to compare
the US and Europe, because they have different
kinds of infrastructure.
People in my company routinely have to travel
5,000 miles in one day on business trips (using
air travel, of course.) Is this common in Europe?
Don't you need a different kind of infrastructure
to do that?
Nonetheless, I agree that we should be building
things like huge wind-power plants and high speed
rail, instead of shoveling money over to the middle
east or printing up stimulus checks.
Now, as to the important stuff... I still don't understand
the Biden pick. Yes, he will complement Obama,
but only in ways that highlight his weaknesses.
IMHO, Obama should have gone for a Westerner
or a Southerner, and preferably someone with a
military background. Military are like Samurai in
this country (when Samurai were respected, not
when they were dissed.) It may not be obvious
to those who have never come here, but it is
a factor in the campaign, and that is why I bring
it up.
Even the lowliest infantryman who fought at
Hue or in Baghdad is more highly regarded than
any lawyer, senator, or real estate agent.
At least Obama didn't pick a real estate agent.
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And, before it gets too late here, I would like
to pass along the correct meaning of the term
"Britland." I have recently discovered to my
chagrin that I was not the first person to coin
the term, and so I recommend this link.
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~ 47 ~ Guns
Military skill does not necessarily make for political skill, in fact I think that the last President with military experience was JFK.
Has there been a VP in living memory who has had a military background ?
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#49, chancy, I agree with your point about skills.
But, the campaigning has become less rational
and more negative in the last few weeks, especially
with McCain's ads. I don't see a whole lot of accuracy
in these ads, just innuendo.
So, Obama has to fight back with demographics
and visceral appeal - actually describing what
he intends to do is not getting across to the middle
class.
Hillary may or may not have been a good choice,
but Biden, while well-qualified, can't deliver the
South.
Obama comes across as a Northern intellectual,
which is fine, as long as he can also draw in
other groups. The South, and in particular,
Virginia, gravitate towards military men,
which is one reason why I expected Obama
to pick one.
The West is more fragmented, so probably there
would not be a way to pick a particular candidate
to appeal to the whole region. McCain being
from Arizona does nothing for the Republicans
in California, Oregon, and Washington, for example.
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US vs Europes discussions are not always constructive as there are plus and minus points about both. But what the heck - here's my tuppence worth.....
Not sure about the appliances - I'm sure that there is a vast array of domestic appliances available in the US and that in past times they were more widely available than in Europe. I would expect that now the gap has closed (at least in Western Europe). My fridge is plenty big enough for my needs but there are larger ones available if I wanted one.
On infrastructure - well it varies a great deal across Europe but in gereral it is of a high standard. There were times in the US when I felt like I was an episode of "Life on Mars " - the bbc series where the cop goes into a coma and thinks he's back in the 1970's - everything just seemed so old fashioned and tempremental. As for subway's well even St. Petersburg has a better system than New York so lets not even mention London or Paris. However the financing of public infrastructure is becomming more of a concern in Europe - Dublin is looking at a metro system but may decide it is just too pricey. I understand that public-private partnerships are now being adopted in the US? European companies are now buying into US infrastructure as it represents an chance to upgrade the existing system and make a return - a UK firm is now 5th largest electrictity supplier in the US. If you live in NY and want to boycott European goods and services then perhaps you'd better unplug your PC now incase some euro electrons may it down the wire. It's an example of how we co-operate across the atlantic to our mutual benefit. That's what trade is all about.
TV - well I have over 60 channels on cable and I watched more TV when I only had 4. Quality beats quantity - however in that regard the US is leading the way in quality drama at the momemt as the UK seems to have gone over to cheap "reality" tv (except for the obligatory bbc autum costume apatation of some 18th century chick-lit).
I checked Justin's link and the columist's point about the US team looking like all the others is not an original comment - I've heard it many times before (once it was even attributed to Ronald Reagan (aside is it true that the best way to get Republicans in Washington to support infrastructure investment is to propose naming it the Ronald Reagan Bridge?)). However a look at the UK or French teams would also have shown a great variety of races. It is no longer a unique to the US virtue. See also the UK medal haul - I haven't done a per capita but I think it would trump the US on that score. Certainly an EU medal total is way ahead of US, the combined continents of N and S america and even a US+China.
(come on someone had to mention an EU medal tally...) Perhaps the European mix of public and private has some good points...
You're all doing very well !!
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Here is one reason why Biden was a poor choice
for VP, along with him being a Northerner.
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And, not to rant, but here is another link about the
bankruptcy bill which many people are about
to find penalizes them, but not rich people.
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Post 47. gunsandreligion wrote:
"On the infrastructure thing, it's hard to
People in my company routinely have to travel 5,000 miles in one day on business trips (using air travel, of course.) Is this common in Europe?"
People in Europe make long business trips in one day - Ireland to Sweden, London to Berlin. For those distances people fly (in some parts of Europe a high speed rail network can compete). It can be remarkably cheap - check out the "ryanair" or "easyjet" websites.
It does of course allow the prospect of taking a long week-end break in Prague as easily as a Pittsburger can visit Chicago.
You're all doing very well !!
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Sorry, the first link wouldn't post, so here it is:
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/25/us/politics/25biden.html?ref=us
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YoungMrGrace, #54, I'm sure that most of your
rail is far superior to what we have here; rail
travel for business in the US is only feasible in
a few small areas, such as from Boston to DC,
and even then, many people find it more feasible
to take planes.
But, we have plans on the drawing board, and,
barring any more military misadventures, they
should get built sooner or later.
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David Cunard:
Thank you for the link to the Reese-Mogg column.
I agree: If Obama had chosen Hillary Clinton, thye would have been impossible to beat.
He made a foolish choice with Biden. Biden has a long history of saying stupid things, and that is giving the opposition plenty of material.
Meanwhile, Hillary's supporters are disgustred, and they have a right to be.
Obama's campaign has been a long blast of hot air, with no substance. Now that is catching up with him.
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ref #15
I agree that Hillary would have been a bad choice.
Slight tangent here, but can someone eplain why Chelsea is getting to speak? What has she ever done? This is an area where I agree with Obamaphiles that Clinton has been given too much.
Mitt Romney's kids aren't speaking the republican convention and they have contributed as much as Chelsea: really nothing.
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56. gunsandreligion
I'd expect that there some densely populated parts of the US where a high speed train would work and many other palces where the distances are just too great for it to compete with a plane. In Europe Paris to Brussels is probably ideal on the train as it's city centre to city centre but Paris to Warsaw would just take too long. Also flying can be cheaper despite subsidies to rail. I'd guess that air travel is used much more than rail for business journeys. The problem nowadays is that airports are so busy and security so high that it can take longer to get through the airport than the flight itself.
You're all doing very well !!
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To Real Frigid #298 (previous thread) and
bethpa #305 (previous thread)
Real Frigid – Interesting and informative answer, thank you.
I suppose what I am getting at is the ‘ethical foreign policy’ on which, if I recall correctly, Jimmy Carter embarked. The difference this time might be that it was more positive. By that I mean that the Carter policy – if I have it right – was intended to avoid links with regimes like Pinochet’s rather than simply pursue American self-interest. The Biden approach seems to be more positive – go and help other people who are the victims of their government.
bethpa – you said
--
The UN has the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and I believe that would give authority to intercede to protect the rights of people who are being oppressed by a corrupt government’
--
I do not believe that’s true. Article 2 para 7 of the UN Charter says:
--
Nothing contained in the present Charter shall authorize the United Nations to intervene in matters which are essentially within the domestic jurisdiction of any state or shall require the Members to submit such matters to settlement under the present Charter; but this principle shall not prejudice the application of enforcement measures under Chapter Vll.
--
The South Africans quoted this clause many times during the Apartheid years. The point is that the UN is concerned with international disputes (Chapter VII involves international actions) and is very reluctant to involve itself in the internal affairs of a nation.
There are obvious reasons for this. You would have to have some universal definitions of good governance. Personally, I don’t see why that could not simpy involve not massacring your own citizens – like Saddam and Bashir.
RealFrigid – you said:
--
More importantly, if a nation "can" stop a genocide, are they obligated to do so morally? My understanding of the UN charter would view interceding in another nations civil war for mere moral reasons to be illegal. The only justification for conflict in the UN charter is for securing ones national security.
--
Genocide is specifically addressed by the 1949 Convention on Genocide to which almost all UN members are signatories. This convention was a direct response to Nazi actions in WW2. It is also the likely reason the UN found that there was no genocide in Sudan.
It may be that Barack Obama has not thought as far as an ‘ethical foreign policy’ but Joe Biden has. Given that this will be Joe Biden’s only chance to make his mark a big one in the political world, perhaps he will be forceful about it.
This has no bearing in disputes like Georgia. My own view is that the FSB brought that on deliberately, just as they incited the second Chechen war. They are masters at that game and Putin is a fan – being a practitioner – of their methods.
Anyway, the Georgian debacle from a NATO point of view really is about oil and gas – especially for European nations, unlike Iraq in which I believe the oil thing was a relatively minor factor.
Darfur has much more of an ethical dimension. People are being murdered – in large part for oil but also for land and just because of dwindling resources.
There is also a religious and ethnic dimension. Many of the Fur, Zaghawa and Massaleit are animist and middle African ethnically whereas most of the Janjaweed and Sudanese government are Arab and muslim.
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Chancythegardener:
George H W Bush was a pilot in WWII and he was president long after JFK, in fact he was the first president I ever voted for.
But You weren't thinking about Conservative Repbublicans, so I guess your omision could be explained, if not forgiven.
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After having lived in the US for 4 years, lived and worked in Ohio (THE big swing state) and also lived and worked in DC, having had contacts in the Democrat and Republican camps I can say one thing with absolute certainty: Justin Webb is apparently even more out of touch with what is going on in America than any other journalist and the BBC needs to recall him so they can save themselves the embarrassment of having the the BBC look like it's clueless about what goes on in the USA. We have and English comedian working for the Daily Show with John Stewart who could do better (although Webbs coverage is a bad joke).
His remark about Biden out-shining Obama were amusing to say the least.
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Ms Marbles,
New York turned me into a walker. A Southern country lad, who got his driving license on the birthday which allowed it, I had hardly walked more than a block or from one University building to another.... In New York, I learned the joy of walking virtually the length of Manhattan - the docks and warehouse aras, and especially Lower Manhattan on a Sunday - like someplace out of a science fiction novel, deserted and devoid of life....I've been a walker ever since, but now it's woods and hills....Salaam, etc.
ed
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Only technically qualified people are in a position to compare and assess technical standards in use in the US against those used in other parts of the world. In some cases it comes down to a matter of economics, in some it's a matter of philosophy, and in others it's a matter of how the laws are structured. In all countries, standards are constantly reviewed and updated. The US is governed by stanards like ANSI, NEC, ASRAE, API. I am sorry to say that the US has abandoned its severial building standards BOCA, CABO, and UBC for the International Building Standard IBC. Canada still retains its own which vary from provence to provence. In Europe, i think DIN has been largely replaced by other standards. IEC to my way of thinking is clearly inferior in many ways to NEC and many of us are fighting American idustry's efforts to compromise NEC and adopt IEC. BTW, NEC is a subchapter of NFPA, the National Fire Code. Some municipalities have their own standards, for example New York City and Chicago did not adopt NEC but had their own even tougher standards. UL is still the standard for appliances. Products from appliances to automobiles destined for export to the US must meet American standards. There are both government and indepndent watchdog agencies like UL and Consumer's Union which test and audit products. There are also Insurance groups such as IR and FM which audit. In general, failure to comply with standards on government contracts can result in severe fines and criminal penalties including imprisonment. Enforcement is taken very seriously. The government also sets standards for all Federal Roads such as the Interstate Highway System. Those standards are set according to the reliability and safety requirements particular to the United States. American roads are not designed or intended for drivers traveling at excessively high speeds which are illegal for obvious safety reasons.
Among the toughest standards in the US are for the land line telephone system and for military hardware. ASQC standards for Quality control and audits are also taken seriously. It is unlikely that today, there are any group of engineers still alive who could design to meet NRC standards if the government decided to begin allowing construction of nuclear power plants again. It's a lost art that would have to be relearned over a period of years, even a decade. Foreign trained engineers who come to work in the US usually don't cut it and are invariably regarded as inferior even if their theoretical knowledge is up to snuff. It takes years of practical experience to bring them up to speed in American codes, product designations and types, and best practices before they can become fully fledged professionals respected by their American counterparts. The same holds true for other professions such as doctors and dentists.
Currently the marketing of appliances especially those engineered outside the US particularly in Japan seems to emphasize a large number of usually superfluous features which are often confusing and go unused. It is not unusual for even a simple appliance such as a cell phone or a DVD recorder to have an instruction manual well over 100 pages long.
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There are Chinese billionaires who have built up their fortunes quickly, contrary to an assertion above.
JFK's military experience was highlighted by turning off his engines and having a swimming party- while the Japanese destroyer he was supposed to intercept ran right over him! However, bought publicity turned that into heroism.
The media are playing personal trivia while ignoring issues, like health care.
The BBC tried to test the evangelical waters in Colorado Springs (REPORTING RELIGION) but find that the megachurches won't talk to them now (after Ted Haggard?).
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Ref 19
I share your concern, but I would add that mine is not limited to McCain. That is the reason why I believe the choice of VPs is of the utmost importance this election year.
Incidentally, I had similar experiences to yours during the year I spent in Kings Sutton, near Banbury, and Oxford 50 years ago. I look back at that wonderful year in England as one of the fondest experiences of my life.
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34#
Marby as always, entertaining and acurate. We did start this thing with infrastructure but I will give you that the average personal hygene standard of the working class male in Britain is pretty low.
Re appliances, ALL ranges in europe have 2 ovens, none do here. Except a Wolfe or similar. If you can cook (Marcy) that is a bit essential. With regards to size, it isn't a measure of quality in terms of kitchen appliances.
#64 - What? Stop harassing the sandwiches Marcus! That has to be the most Roger Irrelevant post we've seen here in a long time!
Coming back to infrastructure, when was the last time flood defenses for a major city failed in Europe? When did a major road bridge collapse just from being worn out? A dam break? Someone die and bleed out in an emergency room without being seen by a doctor despite calling 911 (or 999) from the emergency room? And airports are a lot nicer in Europe than here. Our infrastructure is terrible, to say otherwise is ridiculous and prolongs the problem.
So apart from the roads, flood defenses, bridges, rail travel, airports, cuisine and public health, what have the Romans ever done for us?
Reading Viz on Amtrak Sam
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David & G&R
Regarding the MBNA business, the McCain crowd have much more collective guilt in the de-regulations which have stimulated and exacerbated the present credit-related crises. The systematic dismantling of the precautions put in place to prevent a recurrence of the events of 1929-33 was largely the work of McCain's close confidants and financial advisors, the Gramms. An example of which, and some notes on Mrs Gramm, and on The buying of the President... There's plenty more for those who would look....
If they start throwing mud about the relatively minor involvement of Biden in a relatively minor section of these shenanigans, they can, no doubt expect sticky hot mud in return. In fact, I expect there are probably well-worked-out strategies already in place. We watch and wait...
Salaam, etc.
ed
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Wendy Gramm, a very busy lady...
Four More Years! Can we afford it?;-)
ed
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#66
I think many people share that concern 'which shall not be mentioned'. It does, to me, speak to strength and bravery of the Obamas, Michelle more than Barak. It is a risk that many fine men/women and their families have been unwilling to take (like the Powells).
BTW, why does he pronounce Colin 'Colon'? That always makes me think ofsomething that is full of . . . .
Puzzled Sam
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Ref 28
I would not be surprised if either Condi Rice or Colin Powell are considered, but I would be surprised if they accept the offer. Obviously, they would add new dimensions to McCain's attributes, but since their expertise is in the same area where McCain, arguably, excels I'll be surprised if they are chosen.
McCain has to address his acknowledged weakness in economic matters, which at a time when concerns about the economy and our financial situation are the top priority for most voters weaken his bid for the presidency. Conventional wisdom suggests the top GOP candidates for the VP spot are Romney, Crist, or Pawlenty.
From an electoral college perspective, I would say Crist has an edge over his opponents.
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#64 Re NRC
Westinghouse in Monroeville has such a group working on that now. There are several other groups in the US and elsewhere including at BNF. A shortage of enbgineers is not an issue for the new units, in fact constrruction of the first will begin next year at an existing facility in the South. Permitting and NIMBY's are.
Silly Marcus.
Sam
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Sam,
I don't suppose Kingston-upon-Hull counts as a major city except to its residents (summer 2007)....but your point is well made. It was indeed distressing seeing all those (mostly black) folk stranded on bridges and highways in New Orleans, while Shrub flew by and looked out the window.I'm glad to live on sloping ground 120 feet above mean high water. ;-)
High & dry ed
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Hi Ed,
Kingston upon Hull is smaller than Kingston upon Thames. Which still wouldn't count. But a good point, lots of small places are built on flood plains in Europe, just as they are near the Mississippi. And they flood.
Sam
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Ed, I can't agree withyou more. We cannot afford it. The situation is though, Nobama is the same way in payolla and favors (Rezco etc) What are we to do?
Bill C. was broke when entered office, rich when left.
Bush W was of moderate means when entered office. Don't know,but can figure hes pretty wealthy now.
Most Senators seem to take office witha job paying hundred grand plus a little, llive very large.
I often wonder what it woyuld be like to earn a hundred grand with; free- housing, food, medical, transportation, legal services, telephone, electric and maid/servants services.
Royalty is royaly treated. We need a war where only politicians and leaders fight. We could sell tickets and film rights and end the financial woes of the world.
I'll take two tickets please.
btw, got pics from my bro in Afganistan, got a medal from the United Nations. Couldn't say what for, looked like a star of valor though. He's a hero in my book.
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#46 Ms Allmymarbles :)
FYI, in Texas we have chili-beans and eat them.
In the Britland, its chilblains: An inflammation followed by itchy irritation on the hands, feet, or ears, resulting from exposure to moist cold.
Hahaha on me maam, I had no idea what that meant and had to look it up. When we lived in the tri-state areas of NY, NJ and PA, after a day of sledding, fishing or hunting, that was a common situation, though I never knew it had a name.
no shoveling snow here
peaceful people
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As a registered Democrat who plans to vote for Obama I am delighted by the absolute lack of interest in his campaign, but shouldn't we address his potential choices for VP, even if it is just for fun...
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#75
He's a hero in anyones book.
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Ref 75
Doug, congratulations about your brother. I can imagine how proud you must be for his achievements. I pray for his safe and expeditious return home.
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I'd like to know the number of Olympic medals/ a nation's population.
Which nations did best ...as a percentage of their population?
Also its possible in a sport like rowing to select people who have long arms and a specific body type and train them for the sport and do very well ...better than with using people who have been rowing for a long time but do not have the physical body that works best mechanically for the sport of rowing ( This is a reference to the Friedman article where he wrote about the Chinese rowing team) There was a scientific article written about rowing and they did select people who had the body type and trained them for the sport...
Oh the Olympics is all right I guess...but imo its the overall health and physical abilities of the people in different nations that interests me.
I read an article where they said China has no incentive to curb the spread of AIDS. They could lose large numbers of people to the disease and it would not affect their economy... because they have such a large population.
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Ref 75
A hundred grand is considered a middle class salary in the Washington area. Admittedly, some of the other perks are not commonplace. In fact, I would not be surprised if a lot of people are scratching their heads at the Republican retort on the "real estate" issue, a one million dollar house in most large American cities would not even attract a second look and are most certainly not considered mansions.
The idea of a war between politicians is appealing, it would certainly bring warfare to a screeching halt.
I disagree, however, with your opinion regarding Clinton being rich when he left office. He is fairly wealthy now as a result of speeches, royalties from books, and business ventures he has undertaken since he left office, but he was definitely not wealthy when he left the Oval Office, at least not by conventional standards.
I don't consider the Bush family to be one of modest means. Along this vein, what we should pay attention to are the policies and actions taken by each Administration, and how they benefit their personal interests when they leave office.
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key points of the convention:
1. Will Michelle Obama have another inflamatory comment tonight?
2. Will Jimmy Carter be booed for his appeasement policies?
3. Will Hillary and Bill conduct a schorched earth policy?
4. Will Obama's speech have specifics?
5. Will Biden gives us a good night's sleep with his speech?
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ROCK STAR RISK
Aptly titled Jay Dubya. Reading the Dallas Morning News this morning and below the fold is two Headlines that can't be missed"
"For corporate contributions to the big party, a suite return" All talk of big lobbying going on for the glass suites at Mile High Stadium, calling it 'Sky Box Envy'. Now thats "Change", no corporate money in Nobamas government. BS
The other is, quite, "Celebs embrace political roles, but reviews are mixed" This one is comical, really, it states that BhNO will be hard pressed to outashine the likes of; Ben Affleck (aflicted), dear Oprah Winfrey, Sheryl Crow (yikes) and Darrel Hannah (no relation to Hannah Montanna).
Ready for the show like no other show before it?!! Aye, it is a media blitz, but it only makes the 'Celeb' title stick, and quantifies my earlier statement that the media is to blame for his downfall more than his politics, experience or color.
nobama - biden time
:) vote
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Doug,
I think we can see that Obama's guilt by association is relatively small-time compared to McCain's, but that'll all be a matter of opinion. There is, of course, the matter of the "Keating five", from which (at the least damning) McCain emerges as having showed "poor judgement." Most of McCain's top campaign workers have masses of dirty linen in their lobbying "past", including close links to Abramoff....'Nuff said? I reckon more to come...
;-)
ed
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Doug,
I forgot to add my congratulations and RESPECT! to your brother.
RESPECT! ()
ed
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More dirty linen?
Big Bad John, the Lobbyist's pal...(apply here for a free pass - back-handers accepted)The Maverick strikes again!
;-)
ed
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Those who are curious about the daily CSM updates can check:
[Personal details removed by Moderator]
This relates to the idea that it is important to get views and facts from outside of the
indoctrinated and indoctrinating milieu.
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I've never heard Friedman described as "grand" before. We don't have royalty here, but if any mere journalist were to approach that status, it would have been Lippmann or Halberstam.
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Laundry list
Squeaky clean! Whiter than White!
;-)
ed
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#81
How many hundred pardons did Clinton "issue" during his final weeksa in office?
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65, Xie.
Someone I knew served with Kennedy during the war. He said JFK was a drunk. Well, that fits the family pattern, doesn't it?
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Ignorance as a virtue?
Real knowledge is to know the extent of one's ignorance
Confucius
Ignorance is a voluntary misfortune
Nicholas Ling
;-)
ed
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magickerin
With a union movement in the US at the lowest membership since unions we allowed ,isnt it getting old to blame the unions for the infrastructure issue in the US?
Part of the real problem for many areas of the country is that the tax base has declined resulting in funding isses that speak volumes about oursourcing, and shipping jobs overseas .
Gary Indiana, Detroit, New Orleans , Rockford ,Illinois , St Louis are just a few examples of cities that have lost their core tax base with loss of Industries and jobs.
Reducing that American worker to third world pay and benefits ( which seem the trend )will not improve the crumbling roads , antiquated bridges or out of date public facilities
While we ( The U.S) spend masive amounts of monies we dont have with the boondoggle in Iraq and our naitonal debt horrendously out of control ,its no wonder as Jason said ,things dont work very well.
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Thank you all, it makes me smile as I feel I've gotten to 'know' alot of you over the past six months or so, I am also proud of that association as well. Thank you again for your thoughts and prayers for my family and others.
Doug
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please DC and Real about the motorways,autobans,highways.
your crazy
signing... after the junction.
get a british driving test book and look again. a sign at 1/2 mile from junction, then three signs counting down to ,the sign AT the traffic side of the off ramp(which is incidentally leads up to the roundabout allowing trucks a better view of the off ramp).
normally all to the slow lane side of the road.
In the states (not just oregon) the signs are at the exit.... the far side of the exit so you can look and go "holyCr#P that was it"
tarffic lights that are the far side of the junction . this leads to many side impact deaths on the US roads every year.
A simple change of the possitioning of the light to the near side of the juction would mean that you have to add another light down lower , but also that the traffic moving through the junction can see the light before they are in to late a position to stop/see around truck they were following too close to,etc
A few thousand words could be written on this subject including the topics such as Durability, road markings(cats eyes/reflectors), volume handled etc.
and you will not find the US system has either the smooth roads or the safe systems in place that you would find in much of europe.
Ovens MY GOD half of america has a broiler where the euro's store their pot and oven pans.
complicated recipies mean a recipe where you have to Brulee something.
Like I said before americans are just discovering the cordless Kettle.
eeeerrererererrerer
big muscle cars thats what america makes best.
Peopel who shout "go team go" there's another.
but your infrastructure let alone consumer goods are totally lame.
Sorry, it 's true.
Why are the americans JUST getting into roundabouts.(my God how long did it take to convince cities that side impact deaths are reduced at roundabouts.)
What I really can't believe is I have no complaint for the content of Justins blog topic.
though I have to say in ref to China that it is going to be funny in 4 years.
everyone telling the chinese they were too strict
when in the UK there will probably be HUGE demo's (especially if Big Chips gets in).
Some of those may even be locked up as terrorists(especially if on a us list of suspects,Which include 8 year olds btw).
No it will not be the jackboots of communists oppressing those protesters. but they will be jack boots
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71, Dominick.
I think McCain's criteria for choosing a running mate will be different from Obama's. He may well feel that he does not need anyone to bolster him and will choose only on the basis of beating Obama.
For that reason, if the republican whites would accept it, he would be clever to choose a black. A black woman would be a double whammy.
Does he have the nerve? I don't know. But if he does go with a black it will be a very interesting race. He would be bound to split the democratic black vote. But who would the right-wingers vote for? Would they stay home? A very tricky decision for McCain.
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Family Matters
Hmmmm...;-)
ed
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Bill Clinton Not Happy With Convention Speech Topic
So who's surprised?Sour grapes and sore losers
Not me!
xx
ed
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From the Freidman article:
"Let’s start with us. Walking through the Olympic Village the other day, here’s what struck me most: the Russian team all looks Russian; the African team all looks African; the Chinese team all looks Chinese; and the American team looks like all of them."
What is the African team? That, surely, is the most inclusive of all of them...
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Yes, the McCain administration I cannot vouch for, nor find alot,.. no, big difference between the two in true policies, Obama-McCain. Supreme Court picks withstanding, the Energy policies, Healthcare and Economy/Budget rest strongly on the States and Congress.
National Defense and Foriegn policy run with the Comander and Chief, not his VP,(thus nulifying Biden, unless he is the 'real' president) he (the VP) is the tie breaking vote for congress and public functions, staying behind and ready in case of a disaster happens to the President
My real concern with BhO, is the far/extreme left he came from. When I see him now, he is almost centrist/moderate, appeasing and shifting his stand (not flip flop) to encompass a larger voting block. Good politics no doubt, it'll help, and possibly get him elected.
Thats where the return to the 2006-7 Bh0 gets tricky. Remember, he was the farthest left in voting record on votes he made, and 'here' on even more. His friends (cabinet absentia) and aquaintainces return with hands out/debts owed/reconciliation on thier minds.
Many comment on Bushs "Big Oil Friends" and the special consideration they 'supposedly' got, what will BhOs "Friends" get, want passed or forgiven through presidential order. We know GW did it, and I'll bet BhO will to, but I think I may 'not care for' it more.
Ed, #84 And as to the Keating Five, I can only agree it wasn't pretty, I've read alot it, been employment involved (lost a construction position when the Savings and Loan went bust, financing died here in Texas next to Lake Ray Hubbard), and like it or not, in testimony and fact, McCain and Glenn, fought the other three in assistance of the SnL, as they saw it as a problem child.
wikipedia on the Keating Five, above and below, all decisions, quoted from a bi-partison committee.
Now, what is bad for JM, is the poor judgement hit, that said, he was concerned for the many people who would be hurt by the demise of Lincoln SnL(me included), in the face of fairness, all should read up on this, as "it" will make a difference on your opinion of JM. He really is a noble man.
namaste my most noble aquaintainces ()
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except the bit about a rock star hiring a politician .
I think the guy in the linked article who said why the fuss about Clinton being considered is right.
huckabee is not on the Gop ticket, yet.
oh and 33 DC seriously you are sounding like MA here.
Europe was behind( paying off war debt was more important at that time). but they cought up and passed america , ,on that kitchen tech.
Most in europe have smaller houses(uses less resources) and so less room for massive fridges with so much room they could fit a month of provisions in it.
Most will probably pass the store before the end of the month.
And efficiency? they are more efficient.
big is not always better DC.you know that.
one more thing those sandwiches (named after that english earl) are now being sold to those culinary marvals the French.
American sandwiches are not as small but then neither are the people.
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40, David.
Further on my first trip to England.
As I was about to take the boat train from Denmark, a Swedish friend said that it would be full of English and that they wouldn't talk to me. He said they were not impolite; it was just their way.
So I armed myself with a newspaper (the New York Times) and boarded the train. In my compartment (and I think it was very nice of fate to arrange it this way) was an Englishman, an Irishman, an Indian and a Scot. No one spoke. The Scot, who wore a kilt, was more than beautiful, but turned out to be a religious nut. Such a waste!
No one spoke. But the Irishman needed a match, so he had to ask if anyone had one. A desultory conversation begain but picked up when someone said that nobody, but nobody, liked the Americans. (Great! I loved to eavesdrop.)
My newspaper was folded so that all anyone saw of the masthead was "Times." The Englishman on my right glanced at me and saw the rest which said (New York). I kept my eye on him so that he could not give me away, but eventually he, being a very fair man, turned bright red.
They all caught on at once and, in reparation, had to be very nice to me. By the time we got on the boat for Harwich we were a friendly group (except for the beautiful Scot). I told them I could get their stuff through customs - that I was never searched - and so they wouldn't have to pay customs (which was high at the time). They said "impossible," everyone's luggage was searched. But they decided to take a chance and turned over their booty to me.
Not only didn't customs not open my luggage, the customs man carried my cases for me! (I had perfected my technique.) We sorted everything out on the train to London and parted company, all of us very happy.
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oh and dougs brother, congratulations.
Safe tour .
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Biden Camp Pressed Hard
An article well worth reading in full.For a Slot on the Ticket
Salaam, etc.
ed
(if you can't get it without subscription, let me know, and I'll archive it, like this one)
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99 visident.
that is funny
"african team"
I suppose all the venesuallans in the AMERICaN team added to the diversity
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46 school teachers in England have some funny ideas on health like that.
but then the kids were always happy to get home at the end of the term.
Snow on the feet of beds(with kids in only happened...when it snowed.
:)
torture is relative .
Did he ever tell you if he was beaten with the cane?
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once a year, whether I need it or not. marbles
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that's the dishes ,
it rains too much to bother with showers.
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Only technically qualified people are in a position to compare and assess technical standards in use in the US against those used in other parts of the world.
so why did You mainly wrong bother to continue typing.
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91. At 4:19pm on 25 Aug 2008, allmymarbles wrote:
65, Xie.
Someone I knew served with Kennedy during the war. He said JFK was a drunk. Well, that fits the family pattern, doesn't it?
and until recently drinking friends included Hillary(familly after all JFK was not around)
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Ed, #68, 86, 89: I agree, there is plenty of mud to throw around.
And, of course, McCain voted for the bankruptcy bill, so he probably
can't attack Biden on it.
This is all sort of like the Cold War when the US and the USSR totaled
up the entire weight of warheads that they could throw at each other,
producing the term "throw weight."
#91, Ms. Marbles: well, he was Irish, wasn't he?
#97, Ed: a very weak attack which just shows that the Repubs have
a lot of money in Texas.
#98, Ed: we're back to that old SNL video, here.
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doug .
I'll have a bowl for your brother
(I better not pray because I'm known to be an unbeliever)
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"I still think the Biden risk is that he will outshine the younger fellow.. "
Hmmm. As if Obama (and his team) - having just prevailed in the most protracted and difficult Democratic nomination process in living memory, and also survived early lunges from the Republican attack machine - will allow a respected, yes, but journeyman senator to suddenly upstage him at the coronation?
Objectivity is the bedrock upon which the credibility of our BBC has been established .. get a grip, Justin.
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#75, Congrats to your Bro, and I''ll ask the man
upstairs to watch over him and his buds.
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#44. allmymarbles - Britain in 1956 was a very different place then. Rationing had only recently been curtailed, most people rented their homes, central heating in those house was frequently unknown and all the advances in home appliances, cars and just about everything else in the US were just a dream for most Brits; for example, US staples such as cake mixes and (modern) detergents were only just coming onto the market. Not until twenty years later were there some signs of change which did not really come to fruition until the Thatcher years. Visiting Britain today shows how very American it has become, even to changes in language. But they still haven't mastered the ice problem, not even in the finest of establishments; two cubes seems to be the norm!
#67. SamTyler1969 - What's the point of two ovens, one above the other? One would have to stoop down to use the lower one; when we need a second oven it can be built in at a convenient height. We have a microwave-cum-convection oven immediately over the range, something which is never seen in the UK, possibly because of safety concerns and legislation, but it's a lot more convenient. As for the sandwiches, don't blame Marcus, it was my recent experiences that were responsible for the adverse comment. Give me an American sandwich anytime, except at teatime, which even then my countrymen have almost ruined. But that's for another blog!
#95. jacksforge "In the states (not just oregon) the signs are at the exit." Here in the Golden State the signs for a specific exit are shown three times before the exit and on the (right) exit side immediately before the off-ramp. Couldn't be easier. Roundabouts are not immune from accidents and I'd rather have traffic lights. British motorways are narrow compared to our own freeways, many of which have six lanes in each direction and signage which can be read from a distance. Whoever designed the motorways in the UK never considered that one day there might be more traffic. An accident in one lane (or across both) can hold up traffic for hours. Concerning traffic signals though, in this area they are at all positions, and suspended above the street. The positioning must vary from one locality to another and of course, a right turn is permitted against a red light. Possibly Oregon has different laws in this regard.
#58. MagicKirin asks why Chelsea is to speak - because the Clintons had (and have) that much leverage. This week is all about her and Obama/Biden are second, at least until the acceptance speech.
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It is seldom you will find a person humble enough to take the risk of hiring a candidate that may be more prominent. However, I believe Obama will shine more and grow taller - It is just the way of this man - He is unique.
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Since the title is Rock Star, in what the DNC does not need category:
I give you Madona, who in her concert last night compared McCain to Mugabe and Hitler by flashing pictures of them in sequence.
Except for a couple of extremists on this blog, you have to admidt that is not good for Obama.
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Ed, thanks for this one, kinda balances the two parties into a sameness of mean. Dang, isn't politic'n grand, what sport!
By MONICA LANGLEY WSj 08-25-08I liked the way she used "key demographic" rather than "Mexican"
Just went to Wiipedia, seems like the "Biden" faithful have completly updated the site,.. so much for reader rewrite. Just check out the notes at the bottom (references and links), all dated since August 23, 2008. Talk about a History rewrite, wow, this is serious propaganda set up.
People, we are in the midst of history dying, can you smell the past, sense its passing, good days and warm, fuzzy knowlege,.. gone for ever. The reason for yearly updates and new history books, what was that book,... 1984.
rewrite #10034
dissention good, peace dissention
:)kiddin' not, padwar
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106, Jack.
Caning was out by then. But he was punished (and quite proud of it) for putting a fly (fake) in the prefect's milk. That's what changed his status from new boy to one of the boys. It also encouraged him in mischief.
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A conversation with Rangel, the Big Man in New York:
I just thought that would be of interest, considering the side-bets on infrastructure...;-)
ed
P.S. Some fun
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107, 108, Jack.
Keeping up with old traditions?
#119 was for you too.
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#101. jacksforge: "big is not always better DC" How un-American!! I can't agree with you about kitchens though, or appliances - consider that on this side of the Atlantic we've had all that "stuff" (as Justin calls it) for far longer than anyone else. Who needs a cordless kettle? Most people drink coffee and use gas to boil water for tea.
#102 - No doubt you were a young and pretty American half-a-century ago, almost an alien species for them, so no doubt that was in your favour. Strange how perceptions alter - now the British emulate almost everything from the US, except, as I've said before, the ice and sandwiches.
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I can't imagine why someone has "referred a comment to the moderators".
Two points:
(1) JFK turned off his engines and had a swimming party. The Jap destroyer he was supposed to intercept ran him over. Through paid publicity, this was made heroic, although MacArthur wanted to court-martial him.
2) In the final weeks of his administration, Clinton issued many, many "pardons". No one has established exactly why.
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115, David.
Yes, there have been great changes in England. My first impression when I was there was that it was 20 years behind the US. By the 1970's it was 10 years behind. Now i guess there is not much difference, except in culture. But your houses are still too cold for me.
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123, Xie.
Your first point is interesting. I didn't know about MacArthur wanting to court martial him. (I was never a fan of JFK.)
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Okay, here it is, is this the NFL, NBA or other look closely now, cause this is a political site:
36
have been accused of spousal abuse
7
have been arrested for fraud
19
have been accused of writing bad checks
117
have directly or indirectly bankrupted at least 2 businesses
3
have done time for assault
71,
repeat, 71 cannot get a credit card due to bad credit
14
have been arrested on drug-related charges
8
have been arrested for shoplifting
21
currently are defendants in lawsuits, and
84
have been arrested for drunk driving
in the last year
Can you guess which organization this is?
Give up yet?
Neither, the NBA or the NFL,
it's the 435 members of the
United States Congress
The same group that crank out hundreds of new laws each year designed to keep the rest of us in line.
Peace () smile
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First to Dougtexan:
I will give prayers of thanks that your brother is okay and my prayers for his continued safety will continue. Everyone of our men and women who serve are heroes to me!
Second:
My understanding is that Hillary refused to be 'vetted' unless she was guaranteed the VP job in advance which could not happen because vetting is a prerequisite to being offered the job. I believe that this is called the 'Catch 22'.
I think she did not want Clinton finances, affiliations, or what Bill may have been doing recently, to be examined too closely. How many houses do they own?
Third:
Must there always be a comparison of which country, government, culture, lifestyle, opinions, thoughts etc. are superior to another? Please be kind to each other.
We are off to Denver this week.
Not for the convention, but to greet our newest great-grandchild! Have fun!
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123, Xie.
As to your second point, I will give you three guesses.
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#115
To cook two things that require different temperatures, like a piece of fish and a souffle at the same time? Why not buy a convection microwave in addition? Sure, but if the range was well designed, you wouldn't need one, and you could have a microwave drawer which is a heck of a lot less ugly.
As for stooping, yes you have to bend down to use an oven, but pulling something our at eye level that is at 400 degrees is kind of, umm dangerous?
The ovens can be side by side, e.g. Aga or Wolfe. But you can get those here too.
Chef Sam
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dc really?
Marbles 10 years behind in the 70's
was it the sixties that it was 20years behind.
doing some bull calculations I would think that if the progress continued to improve coomparitivly from the 80's on that would make europe?
10 years a decade , now we must be 10 plus years ahead.
Which is about right.
(i know this is rather a MA way of proving(or not) a point, and this calculation has little to do with reality).
The cordless kettle that turns itself off when it is finished boiling is light years ahead of the "water boiler" that continues till it is empty(and if your lucky turns off).
But we need something to fill our counter tops what with not needing a george forman grill next to the toaster oven by the toaster next to the coffe machine by the plug in crock pot.
All of which could be done on the totally antiquated gas oven put in the council house back in the 60's
Now admittedly fitting a whole cow in the oven is a little hard.
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http://www.cafepress.com/beatbushgear/482489
Tried to link this but it wouldn't go
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My mum travelled to the UK back in the 60's , had to put a coin in the heater for the room. etc. no Ice needed there just put it out on the door step.
strange thing is she has lived in both the US on and off now in 4 year intervals for 50 years.
And her kitchen now in the UK is the best she had.
Broilers on the floor for bffbfbfb sake?
What is that about.
why two ovens, well here it is oh cooky one. mr chef.
It works better than having one HUGE oven that when you have the 1 oven on(heat big area) you cannot do two different dishes. at different temperatures.
you cannot use the Broiler(Grill for brits) while you use the oven.
Quick get out the forman.
Seriously how much do you cook ?
ALL of that does not take into the huge waste of energy heating a cow sized oven for a dish of enchilladas .
BTW you want to go on about a good american thing then go on about the mexican food. Not spicy enough but none the less good.
whether or not it is authentic.
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#124. allmymarbles: "your houses are still too cold for me." Which is one reason I live in California! They still use hot water radiators to heat (along with some electric) rather than the forced-air most American home have. Whether new builds have it better I don't know, but double glazing has become a major industry there, insulation being the best thing. The damp though is a cause for being cold; I once went back for Christmas and couldn't wait to get to L.A. because I was so chilled - not because of the low temperature, but the moisture in the air.
You're correct about the time-line of changes, although I'd have said that in the 70s they were well over ten years behind (no colour TV until 1973 +/-), few washers and dryers and dinky under counter fridges. Today, very little difference, but "service" is no longer a feature, whereas US sellers strive to provide it; the Brits may ridicule our ubiquitous "have a nice day" but they haven't been able to sustain good customer relations - but then, so many front-line staff are no longer British. We stayed in what is considered to be London's finest hotel and almost the only staff member who was British was the Hall Porter. Reception, wait staff and maids were all from a different EU country. Lovely surroundings though and excellent food!
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allmymarbles (#125), that doesn't mean anything. MacArthur probably wanted a lot of things he didn't get, notably the presidency. There were also those who would have tried MacArthur for being unprepared for a Japanese attack shortly after Pearl Harbor.
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I enjoy your reports Justin but your predictions are usually wrong. Let's hope this one is too.
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Oregon has several bits of road where the road slipped (due to logging) an has not been fixed in two years.
Imagine this you appeasing europeans.
driving around a corner with a sign saying "sunken grade" and finding half the road is missing.
Hell no temporary traffic lights(because they don't plan on fixing it)
At road works you have some guy /gal standing in the road waiting to be hit by a drunk with a sign.
Did you'll never hear of temporary traffic lights.
They got them all over the UK.
even in rural areas.
And don't give the old well thats oregon it's different here in cali. cali has food labeling and all sorts of crazy "european "standards and ideas.
most of america calls cali's mad.
get out to the rest of america with the upright wirlpool washers .
As to jacuzzis Pathetic.
Marbles.
heating is an extravegance . We had a gas heater in our house in the UK ( probably put out by the gas board to encourage use) that had a setting in the bakalite "MISER"
thats class marketing calling people cheap is they used the lowest setting.
but then In the UK I did not suffer from the problems that go with forced air heating and AC which the medical industry will sell you so many cures for other than TURNING THEM DOWN.
Those schools also teach you how to get away with it.:)
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#90, #123 Xie_Ming: To answer your question about President Clinton's pardons, check this link which, if you scroll down, will show some of the pardons and commutations by previous incumbents.
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Anyone want a refresher course on George Orwells book 1984. This is a one page summary of the story and links to chapter and verse.
1984
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biden and Obama there is another good thing. now will america accept it.
there's the problem.
or are they still looking for a hummer of a president.
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Ref 112
I am an agnostic, but I do pray...in an unconventional way but with the same intentions and hopes as those that do it on the basis of religious belief.
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George Orwell in his book '1984'
This is all of us today, who said that kitchens of twenty years ago in England weren't up to US standards of today? 10 or 20 years ago now past has met today....huh?
:)
forty minute behind posts, must be lunch time
enjoy
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make that one hour exactly
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And now, for something completely different....
;-)#
ed
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One of America's 'grandstandingist' columnists was a cub reporter groomed for years to become the journalistic heir to the late, odious A.M. Rosenthal at the Times. Thomas Friedman like Rosenthal - and also some foreign correspondents - has been a dutiful shill for corporate power and American cultural and military hegemony around the globe; as well, of course, as being a leading apologist for Israeli aggression and occupation. Friedman, like his mentor Rosenthal - and certain foreign correspondents - is always "reading into" every event these overiding objectives of the ruling elites he srves. It's amusing to note that little Lopez Lomong, the handpicked poster boy for a "warm, caring" America of "strength through diversity" platitudes, finished dead last in his qualifying heat at the Olympics carnival. Maybe there's some lessons to learn from that. Another American rags to riches to rags story. Kenyan carpetbagger, Bernard Legat who only recently picked up a US passport also failed to make the finals. Despite the self-congratulatory propaganda, some on 'Noah's Ark' didn't fare so well. And neither do millions of proles in America and China and elsewhere, far from the Olympics bright glare who have more urgent needs to meet. Neither society is hardly a "bottom up" society. Friedman as usual twists the truth, to serve ruling interests. It's especially rich that he should choose enviornmentalism as his case in point, given the way the US has turned its back on global warming treaties and dumped a lot of its dirtiest industries in third world countries, etc. And of course Friedman wouldn't even dare mention "bottom up" politics in the economic context, not in as severely a class divided society as America. No, so-called 'freedom' in America has come to be perversely interpreted by American ruling class publicists like Fridman - and certain foreign correspondents - as the freedom of American corporations to plunder and pollute the rest of the planet, and for the monied class, "the freedom not to be over-taxed". You won't find those lofty 'freedoms' enshrined in the Constitution but if you're a "grand" American or foreign journalistic propagandist, you can always go on "reading into" it!
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We've pretty much covered everything that Justin
has brought up, including frequency of bathing,
radiator temperatures, size and ubiquity of ranges,
state of repair of major highways, traffic lights, signs,
variation of the gene pool in American and Chinese
society, and, of course, politics.
Everything, that is, except one thing which
differentiates the US from its progenitors.
And, that thing is the "Elevator Gap." The last
time that I was in France, I discovered that many
elevators are conversions of existing stairwells,
and they are just barely big enough to hold one
person. When I returned to the States, I was
immediately returned to my comfort zone as
soon as I entered a normal American elevator.
Now, I don't know about the UK. It might be that
you have ripped apart all of your historic buildings
in order to retrofit them with reasonably-sized
elevators. But, I suspect not.
I propose that we immediately send over
Gary Powers in a U-2 (or whatever we have now)
to determine the extent of this "Elevator Gap."
Or, you could send spies over from Britland to
determine for yourselves the situation.
In any case, this may be the sleeping issue of
the campaign. Who knows, perhaps the Russians
launched "Sputnik" because they were tired of
hearing how big our elevators and department
stores were?
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#125
At that time, the US Navy personnel files could contain the annotation "PI" (political influence".
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It would be good to see some issues addressed,
but perhaps AMM has it right-
that only in the first days of the campaign does one get a glimmer of the real attitudes.
However, the people on this Forum could raise and address issues.
What say you?
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gunsandrel (#145), we still have a few U-2s, but, regrettably, Francis Gary Powers is deceased.
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122, David.
It had nothing to do with being young and pretty. There were plenty of young pretty women passing through that customs shed, but I was the only person whose baggage was not inspected. It really had to do with a technique born of mischief. (I didn't have enough money to smuggle anything.)
Rules: (1) Have your keys out in plain sight, (2) Be anxious to help, and (3) Add difficulties. When traveling from Norway to Sweden, I purposely put my suitcase way on the top rack. When the Swedish customs agent came through, I made a big thing of trying to climb to the top rack and was very clumsy about it. He smiled, sighed, and let it go.
In the shed in Harwich there was a counter to put your case on. I had my keys out, but couldn't manage the case and the keys. In confusion I gave the keys to the customs officer. I tried to pull my case up by the handle while pushing up underneath with my knee. He gave me the look you give a charming but dopey puppy, handed me my keys, and carried my bags out of the shed.
HaHa. Did it again!
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Ref 145
Aerial recognizance is currently done with satellites and robotic drones such as the Predator and the MLB Bats, although the SR-71 Blackbirds and other high altitude planes are still a valuable tool.
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To #93
LawChicago....
If you really are from Chicago then Maybe you have driven the Stevenson? Maybe you are also unaware of the rampant corruption in Chicago and how the Unions play their part in it. Let me explain it.
Politican:
We need more tax dollars to fix the roads.
Engineer:
Well we can do it as we always have and then need to re-do them in 5-7 years again -- or we can spend 50% mor and use the same method as what's used on internatinal runways and not have to fix them again for at least 20-30 years.
Union to Politician:
Use the new better, lower cost technology and we won't vote for you, contribute to your campaign and we'll also do everything we can to make your life like Hell.
Result:
US taxpayers drive on roads built with 1946 technology.
Roads in the US need to be re-done every 5-7 years. Americans are paying than they have to, and politicians are buying union support with US taxpayer dollars on "investments" that create "jobs."
In some circles it's called a racket but here in Chicago it's what is known as "politics as usual."
Justin:
The idea of investing in infrastructure being akin to some form of job creation program is a bunch of liberal hooey. Built with modern technology roads should not need to be repaired for at least 20 years -- but here in Chicao, as a result of thinking like you expressed, we have two seasons -- Winter and construction.
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Bill Clinton:
COMMUTATIONS: 45
PARDONS: 136
That is if I counted them exactly, I may be off by plus or minus 3.
answered by [Personal details removed by Moderator]
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It's difficult to understand why Obama is viewed by many democrats as a politician who needs to "play ball" with McCain and those who run negative ads by "fighting back". Obama is rising above the petty tactics by choosing not to engage. Unfortunately, many american voters will expect it from him, and despite all attempts to run a clean campaign, he will eventually be squeezed by the machine and start hurtling rocks.
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#149, allmy, this is what you get for having 2 X chromosomes.
The "pack light" gene is located on the Y chromosome.
Someday, someone will do some genetic manipulation
and come up with a gal who can pack light for a trip,
and a guy who can ask for directions.
But, they're never going to figure out how to
get guys to get off the couch when the super bowl is on...
They might be able to switch us from Budweiser
to something decent, but that's about the best
they will ever be able to do.
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Xing_Ming
I have wondered the same of Bill Clinton. Following the site that Ed gave out, yahoo answers;
Bill Clinton:
Pardons: 35
Comuted Sentences: 146
This is p/m many (3-5) on sentences as it is alot. I think I'm right, just wouldn't want to be quoted as 'right' and I ain't doin' it again.
Now the question is , what were the two Clintons comuted for?
Elevators: the reason the highrise construction came to be. Thats the engineering mind at its best, well nearly, it ain't space travel.... yeah it is,. just limited.
It isn't lasers either, that they use for plumb, it's Bob, and a long piano wire.
one bob will do the job
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154, Guns.
I did pack light. I just acted like what I had was too heavy for me.
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Hey, Justin, baby, how about we get a rest from this campaign stuff? I've had politics up the goojey.
Here's some ideas for livening things up:
Are You Too Tattooed?
Narcissism - Are We Worth It?
Group Sex and Spiritual Growth
Wine Tasting and the Art of One-Upmanship
The last should get you a lotta comments because of you-know-who.
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So much for teamwork from the Clintons
Learning what the the L word means
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The best thing about Joe Biden is that he has a sense of humor. He can laugh at himself. Obama is kind of somber. They make a good team like Martin and Lewis. They balance each other.
Hillary's mistake was that she didn't know when to let go. This will come back to haunt her in her next run. Anther thing is the Hillaryac who blame Obama for her lost is building trouble for her in 2012 or 2016, if she decides to run. They are mad because they say she was abused by and in the Media, so they will vote for McCain. What is a stake here is more than who will be president. Respect for the United States as a nation that respects international law and decency is on the same line as Election 2008.
The US has become so debilitated by unnecessary warfare until we cannot respond in a moral and appropriate manner except accuse the Russians of doing in Georgia what WE have been doing for the past 10 years.
I don't care how much of a "common man" Biden is suppose to represent, I hope that he never gets the reputation that stuck to Bush: "He's the kind of guy you like to have a beer with." One ole alcoholic drunk on the blood of power in the White House for the past 7.5 years is enough.
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Ms Marbles, How about this;
Beer and differece in hops from the states and Germany. :)
Seriously though, I think some construction notes with all he engineers on this site would be fun.
Some looks into the life and times of Charles Manson :)
The Beatles
The Keating Five? huh ed ):( thats just sad either way
Tejas and the Mexcan Tequila revolution.
The worm and LSD, mushrooms and other sixties memorabila
Korea vs Vietnam, social skills and the resulting Governments
Hillary hahaha, I gotta jet, beer went to myt head in this heat.
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13 David Cunard
All you have done is to describe a massive waste of energy - which is what the rest of the world has accused the US of doing for a long time - now you are defending it - shame on you!
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160, Doug.
Ah, you've got the spirit.
Here are a couple more:
Old Loves and Other Names We Have Forgotten
Obesity - Is Bigger Better?
I hope you are watching, Justin.
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Justin laments "America does have an aversion to tax and a creaking infrastructure (anyone who comes here from Western Europe or the advanced bits of Asia notices that
stuff doesn't work very well) which is one of the things Obama might fix, particularly if infrastructure investment becomes a way of keeping employment up in a recession."
Unbelieveable, Justin! Just when I think you are the fairest, most level headed journalist ever, you go and say something like this!!! "That stuff doesn't work very well?" "Anyone" who comes here from abroad can see that? What "stuff?" Surely you are not implying that "all" of our infrustructure is in disrepair? Are you? For how would you know for sure? And how do you suppose that "anyone" would be able to see that our infrustructure is horible compared to that of Europe? Do you honestly think that when people come here, one of the first things they see is our abismal infrustructure? As if it leeps out at them like the Sears tower or the statue of liberty? Is that what you noticed when you first came here? Are you implying that "all" of our infrustructure in all of our cities and states is gastly? Now I'm not doubting for one second that large swaythes of our infrustructure aren't pitiful in many ways!! But Justin, I'm sorry, but I think it should be ileagle for descriptions such as this to be used by anyone over the age of 30 they are so offensive!! Surely you are not that bigotted! Surely you are not that generalistic and small minded! I hope I hope I hope!!!
SamTyler1969 #21: You think our journalism is wors than Europe's? You're just as generalistic as Justin! There are bad US journalists and bad European ones! They're not all the New York Times and the Daily Tellegraph and the Gardian unfortionately!!
Regarding Obama being seen as a rock star, I think the solution is so simple!! If he were to simply point out that being a "celebrity" is so to speek isn't necessarily a bad thing, then the McCain ataks would be seen as desprit and rediculous!! Plus I'm willing to bet you that many real "celebrities" will be happy, as the lable will not from now on instantly conjure up images of drinkers, druggers, and arrisses!!
A celebrity can instead be defined as anyone who is popular and well liked! Be it in Hollywood or Washington! And after all, isn't that what Freedman was trying to say? That people don't whip environmentalists, road crews, etc into shape because there aren't a lot of people in Washington to light a fire under them? Imagin what improvements we could make if it were inhabited by "celebrities!!"
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I do agree with Freedman's article, though. But if the Republicans win, you can bet that our infrustructure won't be fixed, and the imigration into thisccountry will be stopped, making this nation nothing but a giant burger chomping, war mongering bitch of an international partner!!
God save America! Please?
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DougTexan #160: You'd better proof read your next posts, lest you be accused by the Brits of destroying the "language we share."
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157, 162, continued.
Do Dogs Have Souls?
IRS and the Antichrist
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#161 jabber_jabber "All you have done is to describe a massive waste of energy" - I don't know know where you live, but I like to have a warm home in winter and a cool one in summer. This household is one of the few which actually has fires in the grate (after a short time, the masonry acts as a heater) but new houses (here) are barred from that and can only have decorative fires. So I'm damned either way! Everything can be described as a waste of energy, perhaps people should be urged to walk or cycle to work, petroleum products strictly rationed and cooking apparatus confined to something other than gas or electricity - I believe there are devices which can cook with the sun's rays. Washing machines, dyers and dishwashers should all be banned and we can go back to scrubbing boards and mangles. A pony and trap might get us around and fields can be ploughed with a horse. If you want to go back to the ways of a century or more that's fine with me, but count me out and, I suspect, many others
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165, NoRash.
Be careful with your criticism.
Proofread is one word. Gotcha!
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I can't say what is in Europe now but when I lived there in the 70s I was struck by the fact that by comparison to their American counterparts, almost all European appliances, cars, building systems, were junk. The standards I referenced above are only some of the ones in use and the codes have become increasingly tougher. Have there been voluntary and government forced recalls of dangerously defective cars and appliances in Europe? Have there been big payouts in lawsuits where defective manufactured items have resulted in injury, death, or property loss? Are there consumer watchdog agencies which report on actual subscriber reliabilitiy records to advise which appliances and cars fail most frequently and how? Do they test them and issue reports the way for example Consumers Union does? What about consumer protection laws which force manufacturers and retailers to refund money or make free repairs to defective products which fail prematurely in normal use? What are refund policies like both in terms of common practice and as defined in law? These have all evolved considerably in the US. Where are they in Europe?
You can get dual oven kitchen equipment. Instead of the standard GE cooking center which has a built in wall oven and microwave oven I have, my neighbor opted for one with two ovens. I'd say given many American's cooking habits, most I know would not find that useful.
Consumer reports found what I suspected, that there are no advantages to the expensive heavy duty stainless steel institutional grade kitchen cooking appliances popular in many American homes now. $5000 stoves like Wolf, Viking, and others offered no advantages over GE, Kitchen Aid, Maytag, Magic Chef etc. at a fraction of the cost. In fact the more expensive appliances turned out to be less reliable. Personally I don't like the look of stainless steel in my kitchen except for the sink. There was a fad in the US some years ago, a $6000 Italian made stainless steel range hood. My $200 GE unit works just fine.
When I lived there, European made small electrical appliances and electronics seemed very expensive and flimsy compared to their American counterparts. Most automobiles manufactured for domestic use in Europe could not be registered in the US because they would fail to meet American standards for safety and emissions. Exporters had specially manufactured export versions of what they sold if they were intended for use in the US.
I was surprised that many apartments lacked essential features that would have made them unrentable in the US such as central heat. Plumbing fixtures were also remarkably flimsy. I had to replace a drain fitting made out of a very cheap grade of plastic. Funny, it was painted to look chrome. Electical hardware and installations would have missed NEC by a mile. I did not see even one which came close to meeting American codes.
Even the carpeting in my modern apartment resembled the felt underlayment we sometimes use here as padding under wall to wall carpeting.
If it has become equal or better in Europe than in hte US, there must have been a drastic change but since I don't believe anything most Europeans say, I'd have to see it for myself before I'd accept it and I have no plans to go there.
America's municipal, industrial, and utility infrastructure has been so overbuilt by European standards that its reliability has been largely taken for granted. It's a dangerous mistake. Much of it is living on borrowed time. When it begins to fail and there are many indications that it already is starting, there won't be enough qualified people to bring it back into good repair in any reasonable time. And this doesn't count America's insatiably increasing thirst for electrical energy, the life blood of our post industrial computerized society.
#67 When was the last time Europe was hit by a category 3 hurricaine? Even so, it was known for 40 years that those levees were vulnerable. The decision not to replace them with something much stronger was a polical one made over decades. There was a lot of blame to go around for what happened to New Orleans when they failed.
Most airport terminals in the US are much older than those in Europe. Indianapolis is bulding a brand new one scheduled to open in October. I'm sure it will be very nice, its architecture looks very modern from the exterior.
#72, Westinghouse, GE, and others can build the reactors, the turbines, and the generators but there is a lot more to building an entire nuclear power plant than that. To satisfy the NRC, there are countless requirements for all of the systems and structures that comprise such an undertaking. It was hard enough when I worked in project management on one back in the mid 70s and that one and others were designed by people who'd been at it specifically in that industry for 10 or more years. We haven't built one in 30 years. Those who knew how are dead or retired. It will take 5 to 10 years to rebuild the cadre of specialist engineers in that field once there is a committment to it. Imported engineers who design them in foreign countries won't cut it when it comes to meeting NRC. I've been offered two jobs to design one already, jobs I am not qualified for. They just can't get anybody, they don't exist anymore.
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This comment was removed because the moderators found it broke the House Rules.
One more perfectly reasonable posting removed by the BBC gestapo. Even if it was exactly the opposite from what it is and the Blogger wasn't a complete nitwit or liar, and the physical conditions of America were actually far worse than in Europe, I'd still rather live here. Ultimately it comes down to what kind of place do you want to spend your life in. I've tasted the other side...and left before I puked.
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allmymarbles 168: Duely (or is it dewely) noted, but at least its spelled correctly this time!
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169, staphylococcus aureus.
In order to rant efficiently try to be more concise. All those unnecessary words dilute your venom.
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If these people succeed, we'll be stuck with even more of them than we have already.
http://tizona.wordpress.com/2008/08/18/opposing_anti_americanism/
If we try hard enough, we can live up to the stereotype and hopefully stave them off. Things are already bad enough.
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This comment was removed because the moderators found it broke the House Rules.
175, JackLib
Congratulations. You have created another propaganda word with meaning only for you.
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Duly
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I've been offered two jobs to design one already, jobs I am not qualified for. They just can't get anybody, they don't exist anymore.
just shows one that you are not as qualified as you pretend and that american safty standards are not so great if they would hire blattently unqualified people to make desisions that are best left to experts.
If any of the rubbish you said was vauguly true in the first place, which is very unlikely considering you.
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here was a lot of blame to go around for what happened to New Orleans when they failed.
but all of it was america's blame so suck it up.
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you can get good stuff instead of standard
to para phrase the wrong one
"Are there consumer watchdog agencies which report on actual subscriber reliabilitiy records to advise which appliances and cars fail most frequently and how?"
WHICH? better than consumer report.
Dare i mention that horrible show "Watchdog"
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marbles I think caning was needed at MA school.
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179, Jack.
I don't see why there should be any blame anywhere. Katrina was a natural disaster of magna proportion. No one is ever prepared for something like that.
And as for those who lost everything. Are we to support them forever? The government did not cause the disaster. The taxpayers did not cause the disaster. Meteorological phenomena caused it. Those who are religious call it an act of god.
We are hit by bad luck at some time in our lives. To offer help in the initial stages is humane. But at some point it is up to the victim to get up on his hind legs and get on with his life. If we discourage that we encourage indigency
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181, Jack.
I don't agree. Cudgels, maybe.
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allmymarbles--
We would not need to support many of the Katrina victims if the insurance companies that took their premiums for years actually paid for the damage that occurred. Many people got very little if anything out of their policies due to the "water damage" issue. Whatever.
Also, the government should have responded faster. There's no reason we can get aid to tsunami victims in 24 hours and make our own citizens wait for days to be evacuated from a drowned city (I'm talking about the people in the Superdome). No excuse.
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184, In an area subject to flooding, insurance companies do not usually cover for damage resulting from flood. I do not know the situation of New Orleans in this regard. However I would not buy a house in an area that could not be insured for floods. What that would tell me is "buy at your own risk."
If the Katrina flood victims were not covered for damage due to flooding I don't see how we can blame the insurance companies for not payout out.
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#169
Marky
I missed you, sorry you posted after most abandoned this thread.
I know you are living in the 70's. You've said that a lot. Europe now is no more as it was when you were there than Philadelphia is as it was seen in Rocky 1. Catch up. Please.
On the storm front, Dutch levee's and storm defenses are built for a 1,000 year storm. Not a 100 year one. The New Orleans levees were specified for a 100 year storm, they failed a 25 year one from poor maintenance. That is incompetent and if as an engineer you think that is acceptable, I pity you. The last Hurricane to hit Europe was in 1988. No dams broke, no cities flooded.
On Nukes. Construction starts next year. Sorry dude, the plans are in place, the engineering done, the program managers in place. No need for 'foreign engineers' as you well know the dual use trade restrictions prevent that for most nuke units. The designs meet NRC standards, the construction is ready to start. The engineers are mostly bright young Americans, with a very few trusted Europeans (after all, they never stopped building Nuke plants, especially those socialist French and Scandinavians) but that's pretty much it. You said it yourself, you were asked but are not qualified. Bummer.
I'm sure 1970 is a comforting place to be, but you need to move on. And BTW, you will not be getting another call to get involved. You guys didn't do too great a job. 3 Mile Island sucked. This time around we are doing it right.
Sorry Sam
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169, s. aureus.
In the 70's Detroit was still designing cars to self-destruct, which is why the "backward" Europeans and Japanese took our market.
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there's no convincing him we have hot water in europe.
182
but as to katrina. I agree marbles.
it was an act of nature(something americans steadfastly ignore) but it was not the fault of european technology that failed the americans here.(to continue dumdedums type of thinking a little)
seriously there were engineers telling them to fix the levies and recreate the swamps.but they were ignored (oh and the one engineer on that pbs show about katrina trying to warn the city etc was a foreigner).
popoed by those that said
"not in america we have the best the biggest the strongest. we are above nature.
Global warming isn't happening and blah blah blah.
It was not the europeans that ignored the evidence (cooky computer predictions, I' done lived here all my life . it wont flood).
Sorry the storm was not american made but the stuff and people it affected were.
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jacksforge
You know that a hurricane is again bearing down on New Orleans and will probably have land fall during the Republican Convention?
There was a US minister who was calling upon God to cause it to rain during Obama's acceptance speech in the large open amphitheater..I wonder if the mystically religious will take this hurricane as a sign from God...
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189 I hope they do and run into the sea with rocks in their pockets
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