Got sucked into YouTube this evening. There are a billion Spitting Image clips I’d like to post, but I’ll try to keep it to a minimum, given that it was a mostly Brit show and this is a mostly US audience. We’ll start with the Ronnie and Nancy Show!
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iel8rWheNQw[/youtube]
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qd9EEJvm7z0[/youtube]
The election’s well past now, but Public Whip has an excellent online tool by which you can tell how the three major (okay, two major plus one less minor) parties in British politics line up (in the context of a recent by-election). It’s really well done. It confirmed what I’ve slowly come to realize over the past five or six years – the party that I’ve long identified with is not the party I could bring myself to vote for, anymore.
This one’s been sitting in an unclosed browser tab all week, waiting to get posted:
What they were looking for, Carroll says, was an informant—someone to show up at “vegan potlucks†throughout the Twin Cities and rub shoulders with RNC protestors, schmoozing his way into their inner circles, then reporting back to the FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force, a partnership between multiple federal agencies and state and local law enforcement.
You know, I’m not entirely clear on how vegan correlates with terrorists, but I’m clear on who’s been terrorizing potlucks in Minnesota – those people that bring jello fruit salads (sorry, Grandma).
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Tony Blair has probably been the greatest political disappointment of my life, but I’d still like to ask Israel to please not blow him out of the sky. He’s trying to help, you know.
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I’m off into the mountains this weekend, the sort of place that Sprint just won’t go. So after this and a couple other posts, I’m done until Monday. In case you find yourself with any extra time to poke around, I want to recommend two blogs that I read regularly, and should link more often:
Oh, and just because, I leave you with what could be (but was not) a Eurovision entry. Give her a minute to get going:
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iYzbzL80UD0[/youtube]
Prompted by many things – Vivian’s question about the size of the Democratic Party tent, and commenter James’ objection to my post about the failure of conservatism included – I’ve been thinking about the intersection of party, ideology, and actual results lately. In the midst of that, I checked out this nifty tool. Put out by The Public Whip, a UK non-profit dedicated to improving the civic process, it tries to help citizens understand whether the party that they’re voting for agrees with them on the issues. While I wasn’t really surprised by the result – I didn’t line up with the part that I’ve historically identified with (and still do) – I was certainly surprised by the distance separating me and that party these days.
The Jam – A Town Called Malice
Wet Wet Wet – Wishing I Was Lucky
The Housemartins – Caravan of Love
The comments section to this Boing Boing post about pint glasses provides a short & useful cultural primer. Personally, I’d like to see more Imperial pints in the U.S. One (U.S.) beer is rarely enough, and a(n Imperial) pint often is.
This Saturday, European Union member states invites the public “to take a shortcut to Europe.” From 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m., the embassies of all EU member states will be open to the general public. Each embassy is planning a program “featuring the country’s cuisine, its music and special events.”
From the UK’s press release:
Take a Tour of the United Kingdom:
For the first time ever, the British Embassy invites everyone to take a tour past the grand history, old castles, Big Ben, Parliament, fish and chips, haggis, the Giant’s Causeway, and Stonehenge to a UK that is now a more modern, innovative and multicultural society.
Starting at 10:00 a.m. on May 3, you can tour the United Kingdom with stops in Wales, Northern Ireland, Scotland and England. Guests will have the opportunity to learn more about Being a Brit Different, take a taste of Scotland, businesses of the United Kingdom, and hear about life in DC from high-profile of British expatriates living in the United States.
Event Details and time of speakers:
10:00-11:00: British Ambassador to the United States Sir Nigel Sheinwald
11:30: Journalist and Author Christopher Hitchens
12:30: BBC Washington Correspondent Matt Frei
1:30: Senior Director, Business Policy Council and former Journalist Martin Walker
2:30: Newsweek Senior White House Corespondent Richard WolffeLocation: 3100 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008
Transportation: Free shuttle departing from Dupont Metro Station
Parking: Parking is limited so please take the free shuttle if you can
Accessibility: All guests are welcome, but not all areas of the Embassy grounds are accessible
Those of you who live around DC may find this an interesting opportunity to see the inside of the embassies of those countries who are less than generous with public access to their embassies (and I’m looking at you, Britain – go take a lesson from Spain or Sweden).
The new Australian prime minister today declared his Republican credentials and pledged to open a debate about the future of the monarchy only hours before his first audience with the Queen.
[ . . . ]
The Australian Labour Party’s election manifesto last year stated: “Labour believes the monarchy no longer reflects either the fundamental democratic principles that underpin the Australian nation or its diversity.”
Perhaps British Labour could take a lesson.
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