Hard News by Russell Brown

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Hard News: History is now

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  • Paul Litterick,

    I'll get my coat.

    Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 1000 posts Report Reply

  • Islander,

    Interesting sidelight from the denizens of the bowels of Big O:

    there is one American resident in the settlement. Who is married to a German. They'll be voting tomorrow. They spent much of yesterday afternoon & evening with a 6th generation NZer, who matches their combined ages, and used to be quite prominent in Wellington. It was a gloriously joyously teary evening - with really good wine and local goodies (which I wont provoke salivation by describing.) But the - not-amazing- thing to me was how dedicated Labour/Green people (6th gen. Pakeha) and socially-concerned new residents latched on to the word "hope" and how, by comparison, tomorrow's election will not involve "hope."

    It'll either be steady as she goes (my preference & pick) or gawwwd, not again! Nat-despoilers! We're gunna have to dig in, endure, and quickly get rid of the barstaaads-

    Earth - humanity - really has been under a doomful cloud for the last 8 years eh?

    Big O, Mahitahi, Te Wahi … • Since Feb 2007 • 5643 posts Report Reply

  • Rich Lock,

    Is anyone else loving the steady drip-drip-drip of revelations about how totally frickin' off the wall Palin actually is?

    Today's tasters are:

    - Didn't know Africa was a continent rather than a country.

    - Couldn't name the three countries in the NAFTA.

    Wow.

    back in the mother countr… • Since Feb 2007 • 2728 posts Report Reply

  • Rich Lock,

    Oh, there's also one of those google-type sponsered link advertisments on the bottom of this page which says:

    "John McCain's IQ = 138

    Are you Smarter than the next President? Take the IQ Quiz Now!"

    I am indeed LOLing. A great end to the week.

    back in the mother countr… • Since Feb 2007 • 2728 posts Report Reply

  • Craig Ranapia,

    I could cope with all the fussing and fighting on this thread, but not with the Sci-Fi. People, there is a big grown-up world out there, which is filled with much better stories, both real and imaginary, than you will find on those children's programmes you watch.

    Oooh... lookit, there's a hook. With a chunk of bait on it. Unfortunately I've already eaten, so I'll pass.

    North Shore, Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 12370 posts Report Reply

  • Simon Grigg,

    Is anyone else loving the steady drip-drip-drip of revelations about how totally frickin' off the wall Palin actually is?

    Yeah but the fun part is watching the crazies out froth each other as the pro and anti Palin camps go after each other. I've spent a day rummaging through it all. It truly rocks.

    But the other big story out there in wacko land is that Obama is gonna replace Biden with one of his terrorist buddies just after Jan 20. I reckon I'll pass over to James who seems to have the low down on this sort of stuff for that one...

    Just another klong... • Since Nov 2006 • 3284 posts Report Reply

  • Danielle,

    Yeah but the fun part is watching the crazies out froth each other as the pro and anti Palin camps go after each other. I've spent a day rummaging through it all. It truly rocks.

    Argh! The weight of all the reading and video-watching and general interweb-experience related to this election is crushing me! I need to quit my job or something.

    My husband didn't initially believe the Africa thing was true, but he's come around. I believed it from the get-go. Nothing about Palin surprises me. She is so totally incurious and blinkered.

    (As I wrote that, it suddenly hit me like a ton of bricks just how close she came to being in the top job. Wow, that is terrifying.)

    Charo World. Cuchi-cuchi!… • Since Nov 2006 • 3828 posts Report Reply

  • Jolisa,

    The Africa thing is tragic; apparently she thought "South Africa" was, like, a suburb or a province of Africa proper and was surprised to find out it was its own country, and that there were other ones too. But to be fair, she can't see Africa from Alaska, so how would she know?

    But NAFTA? There's a giant flippin' CLUE in the middle of that one. North America Free Trade Agreement. You could at least take a guess on that one. Especially if you can see one of them from your house.

    Auckland, NZ • Since Nov 2006 • 1472 posts Report Reply

  • Steve Parks,

    I actually found that Africa thing hard to believe, but hey, it came from Fox News.

    Wellington • Since May 2007 • 1165 posts Report Reply

  • Steve Parks,

    Oops, didn't finish that last post...

    ...here is the Huffington Post article with the story and vid.

    Palin was apparently a nightmare for her campaign staff to deal with. She refused preparation help for her interview with Katie Couric and then blamed her staff, specifically Nicole Wallace, when the interview was panned as a disaster. After the Couric interview, Fox News reported, Palin turned nasty with her staff and began to accuse them of mishandling her. Palin would view press clippings of herself in the morning and throw "tantrums" over the negative coverage.

    Wellington • Since May 2007 • 1165 posts Report Reply

  • Steve Parks,

    I actually found that Africa thing hard to believe, but hey, it came from Fox News.

    Oh crap.

    Wellington • Since May 2007 • 1165 posts Report Reply

  • mark taslov,

    I got more of a:

    "And they believed this time could be different. Disabled and not disabled. The United…the hope of a better day, Gracious call. I congratulate, I congratulate them, campaigned from his heart. The love of my life. And you have earned the new puppy.

    I miss them tonight, I am grateful to them, the unsung hero of our campaign. It belongs to you, it belongs to you. It drew strength from the not so young people. This is your victory. the perils, The greatest of our life time. And he’s fought even longer and harder for the country that he loves,

    alliances to repair, I will listen to you, especially when we disagree. Cannot end. This victory alone is not the change we seek, it’s oniy the chance to make that change, so let us summon a new spirit. And look after not only ourselves but each other. Lets resist the temptation to fall back on the same partisanship and pettiness and immaturity that has poisoned our politics for so long. A measure of humility and determination to heal the divides that have held back our progress, we are not enemies but friends, though passion may have strained it must not break our bonds of affection,

    I may not have won your vote tonight, but I hear your voices, I need your help, in the forgotten corners of the world, our stories are singular but our destiny is shared. To those who would tear the worlds down, we will defeat you. Unyielding hope. That’s the true genius, that America can change. The times we were told that we can’t, yes we can.

    Conquer fear itself with a new deal, connected by our own science and imagination, yes we can, so much more to do. What progress will we have made? This our moment. And promote the cause of peace. And we are met with cynicism and doubt and those who tell us that we can’t we will respond with that timeless creed that sums up a spirit of a people.
    Yes we can.
    God bless the spirit of a people."

    message from the whole thing.

    Te Ika-a-Māui • Since Mar 2008 • 2281 posts Report Reply

  • mark taslov,

    '53

    Te Ika-a-Māui • Since Mar 2008 • 2281 posts Report Reply

  • Sofie Bribiesca,

    I got from the west coast ...Bushit fucked it, Obambam wil fix it. Then further up was ... Mcain ejection, Obama erection. Family said people were actually out in the streets screaming and crying for joy and relief. Alot of happy people there :) And here, the sun shines. I like that. (it's probably a Mexican thing, we like the sun.)

    here and there. • Since Nov 2007 • 6796 posts Report Reply

  • giovanni tiso,

    Krugman on wat he hopes will be The Obama Agenda.

    Wellington • Since Jun 2007 • 7473 posts Report Reply

  • Steve Parks,

    Harry Hutton on live blogging the election.

    Wellington • Since May 2007 • 1165 posts Report Reply

  • mark taslov,

    hanging out to see what's going to happen with the Amero.

    Te Ika-a-Māui • Since Mar 2008 • 2281 posts Report Reply

  • mark taslov,

    ...and I sincerely hope that's the last time we here the old 'wall street/mainstreet' metaphor. Not that it's a particularly baddie, just a little overused i felt. Guess he had to tailor the setlist to the audience, but by the 20th repeat, it started reminding me of my school chemistry teacher. may he R.I.P.

    Te Ika-a-Māui • Since Mar 2008 • 2281 posts Report Reply

  • giovanni tiso,

    Tiso: The Predictatron! Good work sir.

    That's nothing: Looky here! (I'll let you guess who gtiso is.)

    Wellington • Since Jun 2007 • 7473 posts Report Reply

  • Steve Parks,

    Going waaay back (in terms of time and pages) to something James brought up back on page 40:

    And to boot to this day Ayers is not just unapologetic, he thinks he didn't do enough.

    That sparked a brief period of discussion on the Bill Ayers/Obama matter.

    This interview on NPR (a kind of US National Radio) is interesting. It’s a post US election interview, and, among other things, gives Ayers the chance to explain the sense in which “he thinks he didn’t do enough”. (Hint: he doesn’t mean he wishes he’d set more bombs.)

    Wellington • Since May 2007 • 1165 posts Report Reply

  • Shep Cheyenne,

    History is Now!
    Kiwis world champs!

    Since Oct 2007 • 927 posts Report Reply

  • Sam F,

    ...and I sincerely hope that's the last time we here the old 'wall street/mainstreet' metaphor. Not that it's a particularly baddie, just a little overused i felt.

    Just slightly off on a tangent here, whilst I have an opening of sorts - I remember hearing a piece on NatRad recently featuring a representative of the NAACP. He commented that the test of the new government won't be what it delivers to "mainstreet America", but what manages to filter down to the "backstreet" - in other words, to people in poverty and to the working poor who are still struggling towards the modest prosperity which the "mainstreet" trope implies.

    I liked that.

    Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 1611 posts Report Reply

  • mark taslov,

    nice, nothing beats a well stretched metaphor.

    Te Ika-a-Māui • Since Mar 2008 • 2281 posts Report Reply

  • Sam F,

    Well, not when the stretching demonstrates what a trite metaphor it was in the first place.

    Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 1611 posts Report Reply

  • mark taslov,

    Could have just been a one off throwaway. But was definitely the epitome of triteness by the time we reached victory speech. But this new shape exudes a pragmatic aroma, now awaiting someone to stretch it just a little further till we get to 'sesame street' and Obama's education policies.

    Te Ika-a-Māui • Since Mar 2008 • 2281 posts Report Reply

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