This strikes me as utterly crazy and illegitimate: The Spanish state prosecutor has recommended an eight-year jail term for a Marseille fan detained after the French side's Champions League match against Atletico Madrid last month.
Reading up accounts of what happened suggests that much of the problems were caused by Atletico fans, and that Spanish police were v. one-sided in their response.
Friday, November 7, 2008
Wednesday, November 5, 2008
Navigating the dynamic
One thing I am looking forward to is seeing how President(-elect) Obama navigates the political nuances of the fact that one of the greatest and strongest shared values of his followers is a belief in individual liberties and the right to one's self.
Basically, how will American society change, now that we are beginning to (re-)embrace the long forsaken notion that we are all in this together, while at the same time our commitment to personal freedom is, if anything (given the erosion of personal freedoms over the past eight years) stronger than ever before?
Now, as we stand on the threshold of a new political era, is a good time to reflect on the unfulfilled aspirations of the past, and to weigh these aspirations when calculating and reflecting on our own. I am thinking in particular of FDR's four freedoms which discussed frankly the tenuous position America found herself in at the beginning of 1941 with the rest of the world at war and concluded:
Basically, how will American society change, now that we are beginning to (re-)embrace the long forsaken notion that we are all in this together, while at the same time our commitment to personal freedom is, if anything (given the erosion of personal freedoms over the past eight years) stronger than ever before?
Now, as we stand on the threshold of a new political era, is a good time to reflect on the unfulfilled aspirations of the past, and to weigh these aspirations when calculating and reflecting on our own. I am thinking in particular of FDR's four freedoms which discussed frankly the tenuous position America found herself in at the beginning of 1941 with the rest of the world at war and concluded:
In the future days, which we seek to make secure, we look forward to a world founded upon four essential human freedoms.
The first is freedom of speech and expression--everywhere in the world.
The second is freedom of every person to worship God in his own way--everywhere in the world.
The third is freedom from want--which, translated into world terms, means economic understandings which will secure to every nation a healthy peacetime life for its inhabitants-everywhere in the world.
The fourth is freedom from fear--which, translated into world terms, means a world-wide reduction of armaments to such a point and in such a thorough fashion that no nation will be in a position to commit an act of physical aggression against any neighbor--anywhere in the world.
That is no vision of a distant millennium. It is a definite basis for a kind of world attainable in our own time and generation. That kind of world is the very antithesis of the so-called new order of tyranny which the dictators seek to create with the crash of a bomb.
To that new order we oppose the greater conception--the moral order. A good society is able to face schemes of world domination and foreign revolutions alike without fear.
Since the beginning of our American history, we have been engaged in change -- in a perpetual peaceful revolution -- a revolution which goes on steadily, quietly adjusting itself to changing conditions--without the concentration camp or the quick-lime in the ditch. The world order which we seek is the cooperation of free countries, working together in a friendly, civilized society.
This nation has placed its destiny in the hands and heads and hearts of its millions of free men and women; and its faith in freedom under the guidance of God. Freedom means the supremacy of human rights everywhere. Our support goes to those who struggle to gain those rights or keep them. Our strength is our unity of purpose. To that high concept there can be no end save victory.
Amazing Grace! How sweet the sound!
Henry Louis Gates, Jr on the election.
We have all heard stories about those few magical transformative moments in African-American history, extraordinary ritual occasions through which the geographically and socially diverse black community—a nation within a nation, really—molds itself into one united body, determined to achieve one great social purpose and to bear witness to the process by which this grand achievement occurs.
The first time was New Year's Day in 1863, when tens of thousands of black people huddled together all over the North waiting to see if Abraham Lincoln would sign the Emancipation Proclamation. The second was the night of June 22, 1938, the storied rematch between Joe Louis and Max Schmeling, when black families and friends crowded around radios to listen and cheer as the Brown Bomber knocked out Schmeling in the first round. The third, of course, was Aug. 28, 1963, when the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. proclaimed to the world that he had a dream, in the shadow of a brooding Lincoln, peering down on the assembled throng, while those of us who couldn't be with him in Washington sat around our black-and-white television sets, bound together by King's melodious voice through our tears and with quickened-flesh.
But we have never seen anything like this. Nothing could have prepared any of us for the eruption (and, yes, that is the word) of spontaneous celebration that manifested itself in black homes, gathering places and the streets of our communities when Sen. Barack Obama was declared President-elect Obama. From Harlem to Harvard, from Maine to Hawaii—and even Alaska—from "the prodigious hilltops of New Hampshire … [to] Stone Mountain of Georgia," as Dr. King put it, each of us will always remember this moment, as will our children, whom we woke up to watch history being made.
"I love this guy."
That was Chris Matthews' comment about the Mayor of Newark's comments on the election. Cory Booker is inspiring, and could represent part of the new generation of politicians that raise in prominence in Obama's wake.
Awesome.
Awesome.
364
Assuming Indiana and NC hold up: Obama's tally will be 364.
That is not counting Missouri, which is too close to call, or Montana, which will most likely go for McCain.
Wow.
That is not counting Missouri, which is too close to call, or Montana, which will most likely go for McCain.
Wow.
Obama's Victory Speech
Coupled with McCain's gracious and American concession, will stand as a document, a declaration of principles which will guide the next twenty-forty years of America.
Tuesday, November 4, 2008
An African-American Family in the White House
A new Cosby Show.
I expect high ratings.
(Nat Cole, here's looking at you.)
I expect high ratings.
(Nat Cole, here's looking at you.)
News items
Strange Portal Connects Earth to Sun. How can something be strange if it happens all the time?
Bizarre espionage case in Miami. Two suitcases full of money, weeks of flim-flam.
Bizarre espionage case in Miami. Two suitcases full of money, weeks of flim-flam.
Monday, November 3, 2008
Sunday, November 2, 2008
Thursday, October 30, 2008
Tuesday, October 28, 2008
The birth of a meme
Where "Tire Swinging" comes from:
Those halcyon days when the press loved McCain and McCain loved the press.
There are worse ways to spend a sunny Sunday afternoon than swinging lazily back and forth on a tire swing strung up under a massive sycamore tree in a quiet Arizona canyon, the sound of a gushing stream nearby. Almost grazing the ground and hung on rope that looked to have been tied and retied again over the years, the swing belonged to John McCain, who stood several dozen yards away, carefully monitoring giant slabs of pork ribs on a smoking grill.
Those halcyon days when the press loved McCain and McCain loved the press.
A defining moment
Colombian hostage dragged to freedom
I expect that in a future history of the FARC, this particular event will crystallize its descent into insignificance.
I expect that in a future history of the FARC, this particular event will crystallize its descent into insignificance.
Monday, October 27, 2008
Saturday, October 25, 2008
Callie Shell's photos of Obama
Intimate, telling, moving. Well worth a look. (Warning: many large images.)
Friday, October 24, 2008
Wednesday, October 22, 2008
Understanding the other
Peter Sagal on understanding the Obama Conspiracy Theorists.
In the real world, Barack Obama seems like he’s going to be elected President. This, as unlikely as it might have seemed as little as two years ago, is easily explained: the Republicans have done a poor job running the country, have a very unpopular incumbent President, and our nation likes to switch parties about every 8 to 12 years. Plus, Obama is a charismatic politician who’s run a very competent campaign.
Nonetheless, this reality is intolerable to some, and they have created an alternative narrative. In this narrative, Obama is “a Marxisant radical who all his life has been mentored by, sat at the feet of, worshipped with, befriended, endorsed the philosophy of, funded and been in turn funded, politically promoted and supported by a nexus comprising black power anti-white racists, Jew-haters, revolutionary Marxists, unrepentant former terrorists and Chicago mobsters.” Once elected, presumably, will reveal himself to be the monster that he is, in the manner of Kang and Kodos in that classic 1996 Treehouse of Horror episode of The Simpsons.
Sunday, October 19, 2008
Saturday, October 18, 2008
Cuba to become a petro-power
20bn barrel oil discovery puts Cuba in the big league
Oil drilling starting soon. Three-five years before Cuba sees significant returns.
Oil drilling starting soon. Three-five years before Cuba sees significant returns.
Friday, October 17, 2008
Wednesday, October 15, 2008
Surprised it lasted this long
Madonna divorcing Guy.
Not the sort of thing I normally blog about, but I remember thinking when they were married that it wouldn't last more than four years. Madonna doesn't seem to be a "happily ever after" type of person.
Not the sort of thing I normally blog about, but I remember thinking when they were married that it wouldn't last more than four years. Madonna doesn't seem to be a "happily ever after" type of person.
Economic racism?
So... there really are people who believe (i.e.: Bryon York) that giving "mortgages to people, particularly minorities, who could not afford them" was a prime cause of the nation's economic crisis.
It is a bit like arguing that the reason the I-35W Mississippi Bridge collapsed is because poor people were allowed to have cars.
It is a bit like arguing that the reason the I-35W Mississippi Bridge collapsed is because poor people were allowed to have cars.
Monday, October 13, 2008
Saturday, October 11, 2008
Wednesday, October 8, 2008
Tuesday, October 7, 2008
Saturday, October 4, 2008
Friday, October 3, 2008
Thursday, October 2, 2008
Wednesday, October 1, 2008
Some guy makes an observation
Some guy:
Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has talked to more American news reporters than Sarah Palin. Not just in his lifetime. I mean, in this year.
Tuesday, September 30, 2008
Monday, September 29, 2008
Sunday, September 28, 2008
Saturday, September 27, 2008
Crazy Talk
I thought McCain's 'League of Democracies' was crazy talk. Apparently it is a conservative plan to kill the UN.
Friday, September 26, 2008
Thursday, September 25, 2008
Wednesday, September 24, 2008
Tuesday, September 23, 2008
Monday, September 22, 2008
Sunday, September 21, 2008
Saturday, September 20, 2008
Friday, September 19, 2008
Thursday, September 18, 2008
No more...
Please, no more Tolkien books, no more Dune books, and no more Hitchhiker's books... Nooooooooooooo...
/sigh
/sigh
Wednesday, September 17, 2008
AIG now owned by the USA
U.S. Seizes Control of AIG With $85 Billion Emergency Loan
I guess we should change Manchester United jerseys...
I guess we should change Manchester United jerseys...
Tuesday, September 16, 2008
Monday, September 15, 2008
Sunday, September 14, 2008
Saturday, September 13, 2008
Friday, September 12, 2008
Thursday, September 11, 2008
Wednesday, September 10, 2008
Tuesday, September 9, 2008
Monday, September 8, 2008
Sunday, September 7, 2008
Saturday, September 6, 2008
The changing face of bloggage
I've been blogging off and on since January 2001--the stolen election was a pivotal moment for me, I stopped yelling at the TV to an audience of one (my girlfriend at the time also liked to vent) and I started yelling on the internet to an audience of one (or two).
The first Vlogs I saw were annoying. I still do not like talkingheads.
But I think it is quite normal now to post video on blogs. That has changed.
And it is amazing.
The first Vlogs I saw were annoying. I still do not like talkingheads.
But I think it is quite normal now to post video on blogs. That has changed.
And it is amazing.
International Polar Year
International Polar Year:
The International Polar Year is a large scientific programme focused on the Arctic and the Antarctic from March 2007 to March 2009.
IPY, organized through the International Council for Science (ICSU) and the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), is actually the fourth polar year, following those in 1882-3, 1932-3, and 1957-8. In order to have full and equal coverage of both the Arctic and the Antarctic, IPY 2007-8 covers two full annual cycles from March 2007 to March 2009 and will involve over 200 projects, with thousands of scientists from over 60 nations examining a wide range of physical, biological and social research topics. It is also an unprecedented opportunity to demonstrate, follow, and get involved with, cutting edge science in real-time.
Rikki Don't Lose that Number
A jazzed up Rikki Don't Lose that Number, performed live by Steely Dan in 1996.
Friday, September 5, 2008
Thursday, September 4, 2008
Wednesday, September 3, 2008
The composition decomposed
the first few sentences
jotted notes
the pearl of an idea
the motif
a seduction
a letter of introduction to a grand theme
if one believes in those sorts of things
But in all matters of ambition
there is awkwardness and uncertainty
until there is flight—
my heart flutters
my voice quivers
my chest shakes
struggling to keep this nakedness from my face.
In a dream once
I was the boy I once was
singing high and pure
a clarion made of man
a soul uncomplexed and pure—
and this is the voice I would sing to you with—
not as a boy, but with that purity,
that unseeing love.
We forget though
that all things are made and are made to decay—
even tears
should be left out in the rain.
The last few sentences
are reminders
of all we have learned.
The theme finished
recapitulated as a caress
a few lines more. . .
jotted notes
the pearl of an idea
the motif
a seduction
a letter of introduction to a grand theme
if one believes in those sorts of things
But in all matters of ambition
there is awkwardness and uncertainty
until there is flight—
my heart flutters
my voice quivers
my chest shakes
struggling to keep this nakedness from my face.
In a dream once
I was the boy I once was
singing high and pure
a clarion made of man
a soul uncomplexed and pure—
and this is the voice I would sing to you with—
not as a boy, but with that purity,
that unseeing love.
We forget though
that all things are made and are made to decay—
even tears
should be left out in the rain.
The last few sentences
are reminders
of all we have learned.
The theme finished
recapitulated as a caress
a few lines more. . .
Tuesday, September 2, 2008
Fancy Footwork
Fancy Footwork, by Chromeo. The video is intriguing, working, as it does, on many different levels. The song itself is a lot of fun.
Monday, September 1, 2008
Boo and hiss...
Tonight's Middleman likely to be the last. What a fun series. A crying shame it was on Monday nights at ten o'clock on ABC Family...
Sunday, August 31, 2008
German Bold Italic
German Bold Italic, by Towa Tei and Kylie Minogue. This abstract piece was something of a hit in Japan.
Saturday, August 30, 2008
Friday, August 29, 2008
Deep Inside These Walls
Deep Inside These Walls, by JJ Flores and Steve Smooth. Warning: may be NSFW. Your mileage may vary.
Thursday, August 28, 2008
Adding value
Here's an angry diary at dKos about television coverage on the liberally-beloved MSNBC.
There's a reason why I don't watch TV anymore; actually, there are a bunch of reasons. First, commercials suck. 15-20 minutes of every hour of programming is commercials. Second, a lot of the programming sucks. And third, the programming that doesn't suck is available through other means: good shows end up on the iTunes store or come out on DVD. (Alternatively, you can get a Tivo).
But news shows are particularly bad because of three factors. First, news shows hire commentators who have agendas. To make up for this they tend to have multiple people on with agendas, as if an increased volume of opinion will actually create insight. Instead it creates rather boring TV where the emotional drama is about ideology and not about a story or a recognizable human relationship. Second, these pundits tend to obsess about process and ignore objectives. It may have been funny to watch cable TV news channels twitter about madly trying to guess Obama's VP choice, but it actually makes for uninformative TV. And third, cable TV shows have bought into the mistaken idea that their job is to provide value above and beyond reporting the news: which is why every cable TV channel provides extensive commentary. The reality is, the power of TV is its ability to show the news, in real time, in pictures. Anything beyond that tends to distract from its true value.
There's a reason why I don't watch TV anymore; actually, there are a bunch of reasons. First, commercials suck. 15-20 minutes of every hour of programming is commercials. Second, a lot of the programming sucks. And third, the programming that doesn't suck is available through other means: good shows end up on the iTunes store or come out on DVD. (Alternatively, you can get a Tivo).
But news shows are particularly bad because of three factors. First, news shows hire commentators who have agendas. To make up for this they tend to have multiple people on with agendas, as if an increased volume of opinion will actually create insight. Instead it creates rather boring TV where the emotional drama is about ideology and not about a story or a recognizable human relationship. Second, these pundits tend to obsess about process and ignore objectives. It may have been funny to watch cable TV news channels twitter about madly trying to guess Obama's VP choice, but it actually makes for uninformative TV. And third, cable TV shows have bought into the mistaken idea that their job is to provide value above and beyond reporting the news: which is why every cable TV channel provides extensive commentary. The reality is, the power of TV is its ability to show the news, in real time, in pictures. Anything beyond that tends to distract from its true value.
Can McCain draw a crowd?
Josh Marshall notes:
Update: Mile High Stadium is packed. Amazing.
If you're bummed about not getting a ticket to watch the Obama speech at the Invesco Center, you'll be happy to know they're still giving away tickets for John McCain's veep announcement tomorrow at the aptly-named 12,000 seat Nutter Cente
Update: Mile High Stadium is packed. Amazing.
ECC groups announced
Man Utd and Liverpool look to be in the most interesting groups. I'm sure the Celtic-Man Utd games will be spectacular.
More info here.
More info here.
Goodbye arctic ice
This animation in Google Earth shows satellite data of Arctic sea ice concentration from May 25 to August 21, 2008. Note how the decline rate speeds up during August, with strong losses north of Siberia. For more details, visit http://nsidc.org/arcticseaicenews/.
(h/t Juan Cole)
Wednesday, August 27, 2008
Distractions
Distractions, by Zero 7. I love this song, but the video actually, ahem, distracts from how good it is.
Tuesday, August 26, 2008
Williamsburg Will Oldham Horror
Williamsburg Will Oldham Horror, by Jeffrey Lewis. This song made me laugh.
Monday, August 25, 2008
Bicycle kicks
One of the hardest and dangerous types of kicks to make in football. Here are two examples by Ronaldinho.
This first example has English commentary, from a game against Villareal in 2006.
This second example is a better example of a bicycle kick, from a game against Athletico Madrid.
This first example has English commentary, from a game against Villareal in 2006.
This second example is a better example of a bicycle kick, from a game against Athletico Madrid.
Sunday, August 24, 2008
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