Archive for July 1st, 2008
Abandon All Hope of Deliberation, Ye Who Enter Here
Eric Lawrence, John Sides and Henry Farrell tell us that whatever political blogs are good for, it is not deliberation and moderation.
Not Exactly the Best President in the History of the US
The Bush administration can be described as a slapstick comedy with an unusually high body count: Picture the Three Stooges and the Keystone Cops duking it out with cruise missiles.
And this is just the 5th worst moment in the train-wreck presidency of George W Bush. The worst moment? Well, it involves the media. You are free to guess.
Two observations:
#1. Some months ago I read Jacob Weisberg’s The Bush Tragedy. Long-distance psychology, an approach which had all but disappeared since the 1970s, returns to tell us that underneath the facade, Bush43 is a cipher. The man has managed to build a life without any content whatsoever – not even his much-touted religious conversion reveals any substance. Either Weisberg has missed something completely, or we are stuck with one of the biggest riddles in modern history. How could Nobody be elected president of the US, twice?1
#2. To many foreign leaders, cooperating with Bush has been lethal with the destruction of the Blair and Aznar premierships as the most conspicuous examples. Berlusconi is a tricky case as he managed to bounce back in the 2008 elections after being ousted in 2006, but one political leader has managed to stay very close to Bush and still survive politically: Anders Fogh Rasmussen of Denmark. What does this tell us about Danish politics in general and Fogh Rasmussen in particular?
- I know: Bush43 did lose the popular vote in 2000, but the question still stands. [↩]
Dynasty
Ah, yes: The Wagners. A real-life Dynasty for Bildungsbürger.
As Die Zeit writes about old Dick W:
Er ist das wahnsinnige Genie, der übermächtige Schöpfer, um dessen Erbe sich seine Familie noch immer rauft. Richard Wagner erdenkt eine neue, romantische Form der Oper, die Text, Musik und Regie zu einem Gesamtkunstwerk verbindet.
In any event, great-granddaughter Katharina wants to bring Bayreuth to the internet in a big, you might almost want to say: Wagnerian, way.
Awww…!!!
How can you not love the Norwegians. At least when they pull such a stunt.
links for 2008-07-01
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I april 2004 blev den generelle hastighedsgrænse på motorvejene hævet fra 110 km/t til 130 km/t. Vejdirektoratet har set på effekten af den hævede hastighedsgrænse, og konklusionerne kan læses i denne rapport
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Utvärderingen visar också att tillgången till auktoriserade tolkar och ersättning för besök med tolk bör undersökas vidare. Dessutom kan man se att mottagningar i vårdtunga områden hanterar fler listade invånare per läkare samt har fler besök
Only God – and the FRA – Will Hear You
Kristeligt Dagblad informs us that if you send an e-mail to someone (say, your local vicar) in the Church of Denmark, the Swedish FRA will get the message as well.
The CoD has now started negotiations with its IT-supplier to redirect traffic so that it will no longer pass Swedish borders.
Another victory in the “war on terror”.