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#21
Off the Record / Re: Facebook Follies of Friend...
Last post by Admiral Yi - Today at 05:18:08 PMEveryone should comply with police orders.
#22
Off the Record / Re: TV/Movies Megathread
Last post by Sheilbh - Today at 05:04:19 PMQuote from: mongers on September 03, 2025, 09:22:55 PMA film new to me:I think possibly the greatest British film ever made.
'The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp' - sterling work by all concerned.
#23
Off the Record / Re: Quo Vadis, Democrats?
Last post by Tonitrus - Today at 04:06:29 PMThere is a legitimately cynical reason...he draws ~7-12% of the cranks away from Coumo.
#24
Off the Record / Re: Brexit and the waning days...
Last post by Sheilbh - Today at 03:57:39 PMQuote from: Richard Hakluyt on Today at 08:50:51 AMA totally splintered political scene and first-past-the-post electoral system is going to lead to some wacky election results......its going to be interesting but in a disturbing way.I think we'll get a preview next year in Scotland and Wales. Obviously they have PR - but looking at the polling right now and I think in both cases there will be huge challenges in forming a government.
(The Tories won't hold the balance of power - but hopefully they will have learned the lesson from 2007 when they supported a minority SNP government to hurt Scottish Labour
)And having said all this I think voters are incredibly sophisticated. I think there's been fairly nuanced results - despite FPTP - which actually reflect public opinion in recent years. Even last year's mile wide, inch deep victory for Starmer.
#25
Off the Record / Re: Facebook Follies of Friend...
Last post by Darth Wagtaros - Today at 03:50:26 PMQuote from: The Minsky Moment on Today at 03:27:35 PMI don't get the gun one. A drunk guy with a microphone is going to stop gun control?You have no idea the power of a drunken white guy to teh Anti-Wokers.
#26
Off the Record / Re: The Closing of the America...
Last post by Sheilbh - Today at 03:48:24 PMYeah absolutely - there's a fantastic Know Your Enemy episode on Bloom and many on Strauss. But also with Bloom and Bellow - my understanding is that they met and became friends in mid-life when both were working at the Committee of Social Thought.
And that's also a sort of high minded, inter-disciplinary enterprise that a is unique to a university. You look at the current faculty and it's a fascinating list - which must be fantastic for students. But in the past you Bellow, Coetzee, T.S. Eliot, Bloom, Arendt, Hayek etc - and I just think that is such a principled purpose a university that you might gain something from novelists and poets and philosophers and historians and economist in conversation.
It's not economically or politically directly useful, it is absolutely elitist - and it's exactly what these institutions are supposed to be for.
I find there something quite sad in seeing this happen to American higher education especially as my understanding is that so much of its strength is ultimately derived from the destruction of the incredible intellectual and academic institutions of Central/German speaking Europe. And now it, in its turn, is being destroyed.
And that's also a sort of high minded, inter-disciplinary enterprise that a is unique to a university. You look at the current faculty and it's a fascinating list - which must be fantastic for students. But in the past you Bellow, Coetzee, T.S. Eliot, Bloom, Arendt, Hayek etc - and I just think that is such a principled purpose a university that you might gain something from novelists and poets and philosophers and historians and economist in conversation.
It's not economically or politically directly useful, it is absolutely elitist - and it's exactly what these institutions are supposed to be for.
I find there something quite sad in seeing this happen to American higher education especially as my understanding is that so much of its strength is ultimately derived from the destruction of the incredible intellectual and academic institutions of Central/German speaking Europe. And now it, in its turn, is being destroyed.
#27
Off the Record / Re: What does a TRUMP presiden...
Last post by Baron von Schtinkenbutt - Today at 03:48:09 PMIt certainly does feel like Trump is trying to run the US like the world is Victoria 2.
#28
Off the Record / Re: What does a TRUMP presiden...
Last post by The Minsky Moment - Today at 03:44:54 PMTrump somehow acquired a view of economics from a late 19th century perspective. When statesman would obsess over tables of steel and iron production and coal and oil were New Economy energy sources. When the US federal government got almost all its funding from tariff revenue. It's hard to understand where he got this from, but any doubt about this was resolved this year when he started giving rambling talks about William McKinley. I understand the McKinley stuff comes from his handlers, but it's mutually reinforcing.
#29
Off the Record / Re: Norwegian Election
Last post by Norgy - Today at 03:42:23 PMLatest polls show a lead for the red-green-green impossible coalition. 28 percent Labour.
The conservatives have collapsed. Utterly.
I have no factual explanation, so I can only speculate. They seem to have no policies.
And in times of crisis, voters do tend to turn to Labour, as it is secure, middle-of-the-road policies.
The conservatives have collapsed. Utterly.
I have no factual explanation, so I can only speculate. They seem to have no policies.
And in times of crisis, voters do tend to turn to Labour, as it is secure, middle-of-the-road policies.
#30
Off the Record / Re: Quo Vadis, Democrats?
Last post by The Minsky Moment - Today at 03:38:06 PMQuote from: Tonitrus on September 03, 2025, 10:22:04 PMThe machinations are afoot to try and clear the way to give Coumo the best shot...
https://www.politico.com/news/2025/09/03/a-trump-administration-position-to-leave-the-race-for-mayor-eric-adams-faces-a-decision-00542212
But it would hard to see how this wouldn't end up Trump-tainting Coumo irrevocably.
Put aside the motivations.
Eric Adams absolutely should be out of the race, he's a crook and a corrupt piece of shit. I get that for national GOP primary voters, those are virtues qualifying one to be President, but NY democratic voters should have higher standards. And they do - Adams is polling badly and has no chance. There is no legitimate reason for him to stay in.