Open Thread Anyone?

Email Print posted by desertpear 08/08/2008 06:26:48 PM EST

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Seems there are new folks posting on the forum, which I think is awesome.  The more the merrier.  But there doesn't seem to be any good place for people to share random links, comments on the show, and other things for which posting a blog is overkill.  This is why other sites like Daily Kos and Crooks & Liars have daily Open Threads.  I think blogs should have more substance than one sentence and a link, but I still want to know what people find interesting enough to share.  So, in the spirit of trying something new on the TYT website, here is an Open Thread.  Enjoy, or pound on me, as you see fit.

 


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Open Threads--good or bad idea?
good 85%
bad 0%
who cares? 14%

Votes: 7
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Open Thread Anyone? | 47 comments (47 topical, 0 hidden)
one sentence and a link (none / 0)
I'm totally guilty. And guilty. And apparently, shameless. Color me embarrassed.

by hazmat on 08/08/2008 06:50:08 PM EST

I like bias's friday fun threads (none / 0)

by hazmat on 08/08/2008 06:51:55 PM EST

[ Parent ]
I appreciate that (none / 0)
I was actually gone much of the day with no Internet access.

The funny thing is the FridayFun Thread I had in mind was a Friday Open Thread. At any rate, I have to say I'm disappointed with the low number of responses to THIS thread.

Really, is this the best we can do as a TYT community? There should be easily 100 responses to this thread, yet there's sadly only 1/20 of that number.

I reject and denounce you non-participators. But all will be forgiven if you start participating.

Sincerely,

Ihavenobias

by ihavenobias on 08/09/2008 02:23:20 AM EST

[ Parent ]
give it time (none / 0)

it'll warm up once people get the idea.

Let me share a funny little anecdote with you. My wife made me sit through the opening ceremonies of the Olympics tonight, so we could see the vietnamese athletes in the parade of nations. My favorite "ethnic" nations that I cheer for now are Turkey and Vietnam. Great, everybody's having fun (except me, bored out of my skull). They were discussing changes to the flag that Liechtenstein had made (riveting). So along comes congo, and for some reason I can't fathom, she decides to mention--at that very moment--that if she had a nation and she was going to design a flag, she'd put a diamond on it. That sure spiced up the evening.

by hazmat on 08/09/2008 02:37:04 AM EST

[ Parent ]
I love this post (none / 0)

That is the kind of bitter, annoyed slice of life I can relate to.

I am with you, the actual show was really, really incredible and I hate the Olympics.

I loved that giant scroll.

The parade of nations was unbearably long.

by ProfRich on 08/09/2008 08:03:58 AM EST

[ Parent ]
ProfRich (none / 0)
I would rather watch bark grow on a hardwood tree than the Olymics.

by psyche2 on 08/11/2008 07:09:14 PM EST

[ Parent ]
Feeling ya! (none / 0)

My parents have asked every day since Friday, "Did you see the Olympics yesterday?"

And I think, "No, I was busy driving a fucking meat thermometer in my ear."

Every day of the Olympics just reminds me the Longhorns kick off two days after this shit ends!

by ProfRich on 08/11/2008 09:48:56 PM EST

[ Parent ]
Perfect! (none / 0)
Was she joking? 

If not, you know what you have to do.

by ihavenobias on 08/09/2008 10:48:38 AM EST

[ Parent ]
She knows (none / 0)

about the diamonds, but didn't make the connection with Congo until I pointed it out. We saw Blood Diamond a few months ago, so all I had to do was say the title of the movie. Who knows, maybe there was a subconscious mental association. We had a good laugh about it.

She's 1/4 chinese, and was really excited about the opening ceremonies. Many Asians see this as a coming out party for the downtrodden Asian world. I was teasing her all night about Chinese human rights violations. For instance I couldn't help bring up Joey Cheek when when the performers made the giant peace dove. That scene was rich with Irony. I didn't want to be a debbie downer, so I backed off for awhile, but the diamond comment was too much.

by hazmat on 08/09/2008 11:08:59 AM EST

[ Parent ]
Did you tease her (none / 0)
about how they eat some really crazy shit there? I've been watching more Travel Channel lately and I've been consistently repulsed and disgusted by some of the "foods" they choose to consume.

I say choose because they generally avoid impoverished places on the Travel Channel.

Balls, dogs, worms and parts of animals that should be left alone for mother nature to consume.  I know, I know, it's just cultural and psychological on my part, but I'm still incredibly grossed out by it.

Not saying they can't do what they want, it's none of my business. I mean hell, I hate anchovies but if you want it on your pizza, knock yourself out. 

by ihavenobias on 08/09/2008 11:20:27 AM EST

[ Parent ]
Similar conversation with my wife and kids (none / 0)

I had to explain to them the whole reason China had the Olympic and were spending a bajillion dollars on it was to try and make the case to the world (particularly corporations and wealthy investors) that China is on the same level as the U.S.

Last night was the big "Look! We are a Super Power too!" pageant.  Have to say, they did a great job with it.

My brother is an exec at IBM and he travels to China three times a year and he is very clear about two things a) China sees itself as the next America in terms of economic dominance and b) they are very well positioned to make that a reality.

Enjoy the games, but understand this month may be looked back upon decades from now as the month China became a super power.  There is a lot of similarity here with the 1936 games in Germany.  A controversial new power is putting on a propaganda extravaganza aiming at wooing the rest of the world.

by ProfRich on 08/09/2008 11:21:10 AM EST

[ Parent ]
That begs the question (none / 0)
What role did the US play (think Free Trade) in helping China pass it on the stage of economic and political dominance (assuming that's the case at some point soon)?

And what the pros and cons? Eventually Cenk should do a show on this topic (especially considering his position on trade).

by ihavenobias on 08/09/2008 12:03:18 PM EST

[ Parent ]
Yeppers (none / 0)

Just like the rise of America, foriegn nations putting profit over nationalism have allowed China to develop rapidly and have inadvertently created a giant.

Thanks Coca-Cola

Thanks IBM

Thanks Wal-Mart

Thanks corporate America

U-S-A! U-S-A!

by ProfRich on 08/09/2008 12:42:37 PM EST

[ Parent ]
Another critical issue (none / 0)
on this topic...

People who are pro free trade often reject or minimize the argument that speculators drive up the price of oil, and they say it's all or overwhelmingly supply and demand.

Fine, I'm not going to argue for or against that here. But don't they have to concede then that the huge increase in oil and gas prices are directly and greatly tied to our trade policies? I'm referring to trade deficits and of course, the massive increase in industrialization and development in rapidly developing nations (think China and India).

And don't forget the increase in pollution, including but not limited greenhouse gases.

I think we don't talk about these things enough when discussing the impact of trade (maybe the pollution part, but clearly not the rest).  Hell, we might have to start a thread on this at some point.

by ihavenobias on 08/09/2008 01:55:34 PM EST

[ Parent ]
it hasn't bothered me (none / 0)
I just wondered if this would be a better format for these types of posts. 

by desertpear on 08/08/2008 07:58:55 PM EST

[ Parent ]
mild disagreement. (none / 0)
I'm contradicting earlier statements, I realize. I have noticed an up-tick in posts that look appropriate for comments on other threads. But there's no way to control that, I suppose. Unless David takes to deleting threads (would be a disaster!) there's no way to force people start topical threads. And, as you say we're getting a lot of great new voices around here, so I can't complain really. I've enjoyed reading stuff from theRob91, Lenillape and others. Let'em go! I never paid much attention to the open threads at kos anyways (that site is overwhelming).

by hazmat on 08/08/2008 09:03:16 PM EST

[ Parent ]
Denounce, reject, etc. (none / 0)
No, I don't actually care.  God bless, go forward.

Let's talk about how I'm in the process of jailbreaking my 2.0.1 firmware iPhone and I maaaaaaaaay have screwed it up.

by jarett on 08/09/2008 02:54:54 AM EST

Here's something I have been wanting to say (none / 0)

But had nowhere to say it.

FILL OUT YOUR DAMN PROFILES PEOPLE!

Particularly those who post all the time.

by ProfRich on 08/09/2008 08:02:46 AM EST

I agree with that too (none / 0)
But I want to say again that Pear's idea is a good one. Having more open threads ia  good way to encourage more participation.

Some people are too indimidated to create a whole thread while others may not feel they have anything to add to a specific topic covered in a post. An open thread just might get some of them out of their shells.

Plus I hate inorganic thread-hijacks.

by ihavenobias on 08/09/2008 10:51:59 AM EST

[ Parent ]
Mine has been updated (none / 0)
I finally got around to it while the Time Sphinx was getting an oil change. 

by Kang the Conqueror on 08/11/2008 01:11:11 PM EST

[ Parent ]
100% right. (none / 0)

by Spencer on 08/11/2008 02:27:05 PM EST

[ Parent ]
How Well Do You Know Your Fellow Earthlings? (none / 0)

OK, just for fun.  This is a native North American mammal that is fairly common where I live.  Can anyone guess what it is?

 

by desertpear on 08/12/2008 01:52:04 AM EST

Is it a nutria? (none / 0)

It looks a little too small dark and tail-less, but that's my best guess.

by Spencer on 08/12/2008 02:04:47 AM EST

[ Parent ]
I say (none / 0)

A Lemming?

Don't know if they are native to N America but they kind of look like that.

by z1p101 on 08/12/2008 02:14:53 AM EST

[ Parent ]
gotta be some kinda marmot (none / 0)

but he's lookin a little sparse with the coat. You live in the northwest, so without benefit of any guide books, I'm going to make up a name for this critter:

The western high desert marmot.

by hazmat on 08/12/2008 02:16:48 AM EST

[ Parent ]
Three very good guesses!! (none / 0)

But no winners yet.  It might be too obscure, even though it is a fairly substantial animal, about the size of a muskrat.

It eats ferns, lives in burrow systems, and was around at the time when mammoths were still lumbering around Nevada.

That didn't help, did it?

by desertpear on 08/12/2008 02:48:25 AM EST

[ Parent ]
It's a Mountain Beaver (none / 0)

Although most scientists call them Aplodontia, since they don't really live in the mountains and they aren't related to beavers.  They are native to the wet conifer forests of Washington, Oregon, and California.  They only come out of their burrows at night, so you rarely ever see one, but a local birder just happened to see this one walking on a trail in the evening.  Best photos I've ever seen of one.  Apparently Chinook Indians used to make cloaks out of their skins.  I imagine they would be super easy to catch--just dig a nice pit trap outside the burrow and cover with ferns.  Just in case you are hungry someday and lost in the woods.  Or just find yourself lusting after some o' that mountain beaver.

 

by desertpear on 08/12/2008 03:02:12 AM EST

[ Parent ]
Kinda (none / 0)
like the panda .vs red panda thing I guess?

by z1p101 on 08/12/2008 03:05:18 AM EST

[ Parent ]
What ever it is, it's ugly (none / 0)
Is it a mountain beaver?

by OneHitKill on 08/12/2008 03:02:36 AM EST

[ Parent ]
Just a hair too slow (none / 0)
Shit, man.

by OneHitKill on 08/12/2008 03:03:34 AM EST

[ Parent ]
Dude (none / 0)
you sooo cheated.

by z1p101 on 08/12/2008 03:25:01 AM EST

[ Parent ]
ugly? (none / 0)
Well, it has been around basically unchanged since the Pleistocene and is considered a living fossil.  It's funny, I never think any animal is "ugly."  Humans though--no fur, no nice tail, their genitals all hanging out everywhere.  ew

by desertpear on 08/12/2008 03:51:00 PM EST

[ Parent ]
riddle me this (none / 0)

China has a billion people but they couldn't find a "cute" girl that could sing well enough to carry a national anthem? (little huffpo item)

here's the face, and the voice

 

by hazmat on 08/12/2008 11:36:07 AM EST

geez (none / 0)
What, don't they have plastic surgery there?  <snark>

by desertpear on 08/12/2008 04:01:27 PM EST

[ Parent ]
Am I crazy (none / 0)

I think the singer is adorable. Her teeth are a little f'd up, but she's like, 6! Obviously not a problem. She's going to be a hottie when she grows up.

In fact I'm gonna go out on a limb and say that the juxtaposition of the two with the Pollyanna smile on the left does the lip-syncer no favors. I'm gonna let'er go because, hey she's 6  too.

This story is wrong on many levels.

by hazmat on 08/12/2008 04:35:57 PM EST

[ Parent ]
China (none / 0)

Not too different from the old Great Leap Forward photo where they made it look like school children were standing on top of wheat that was so densely planted it could hold their weight. It was faked. Up to 30 million people died in the famine (1958-60), and China didn't disclose this tragedy to the world until the mid-1980s.

"Face" is a huge part of Chinese culture.  You don't want to lose face.  What they really should have at the Olympics is a big electronic display showing America's debt to the Chinese growing dollar by dollar.

by desertpear on 08/12/2008 04:47:02 PM EST

[ Parent ]
Kids are unreliable (none / 0)
I wasn't surprised at all that there was lip-sync going on in that performance.  News media made kind of a big deal about it, but it sure as hell wasn't the first time for the unspeakable vice of Vanilli to rear its head in the Opening Ceremonies.  But when I heard that they used CGI to fake those footprint fireworks, I thought THAT was kind of lame.

by OneHitKill on 08/12/2008 10:00:43 PM EST

[ Parent ]
me too! (none / 0)
I was all impressed and shit.

by desertpear on 08/13/2008 03:09:08 AM EST

[ Parent ]
I didn't know it was fake until now. (none / 0)
They invented fireworks.  Don't you think with the thousands of years of experience they could've managed the footprint thing?  That's so lame.  Communism sucks!

by Spencer on 08/13/2008 04:55:50 AM EST

[ Parent ]
Stranger and stranger (none / 0)

Japan will never pass up a chance to blow some China news out of proportion.  Today the the press is making a big deal about this weird discovery:  Portable radios distributed as part of Olympic Games press kits were afixed with "Beijing 2008" stickers which, when removed, reveal a picture of Japanese gravure model Ogura Yuko.  Apparently whoever put the press kits together bought a whole bunch of Ogura Yuko portable radios and just slapped stickers on them to hide the picture.

I don't know which is tackier, a radio with Ogura Yuko's picture on it, or a radio with a sticker covering Ogura Yuko's picture. 

 

by OneHitKill on 08/13/2008 10:49:11 AM EST

[ Parent ]
well (none / 0)
They were "mostly" real--I think they faked only some of them for the TV broadcast ;)

by desertpear on 08/13/2008 01:19:24 PM EST

[ Parent ]
McCain fears (none / 0)
Yesterday, during all the Russia/Georgia business, I felt like we were back in the 1980s "second" cold war.  I was in college at the time and I remember being frightened at the potential for a nuclear exchange.  When I saw Bush and McCain speak to Russia with such arrogance, man, it just brought back all those memories.  I do not want to go through another four years with a president that is quick to go to war and has no talent for diplomacy.  That is my biggest motivator for supporting Obama.  I want to be proud of my country again.  I would like to be able to travel overseas and not have to say "I'm from America, but I didn't vote for Bush, so please don't hate me."

by desertpear on 08/12/2008 05:09:44 PM EST

Don't worry (none / 0)
You don't have to say that.  I've never had to explain myself.  People just know.  If you travel overseas, it's understood that you didn't vote for Bush.  People who did vote for him are tethered to their own front porch by a leash that only allows them to visit the next town up the road.

by OneHitKill on 08/12/2008 10:03:14 PM EST

[ Parent ]
Religious Voters Prefer Obama, except Evangelicals (none / 0)

Waddya know?  Maybe they are tired of war too?

Here is the column.

The poll, which shows Obama ahead of McCain 43 percent to 34 percent among likely voters, also finds Obama leading in 18 of 19 different religious faith communities defined by the survey's strict standards. McCain leads in only one--evangelicals. In that category, however, the Republican has a huge lead, 61 to 17.

By Barna's estimate, only 8 percent of U.S. voters are truly evangelical. "That is a much smaller group than you might think," says George Barna, the poll's director.

Among most other Christian groups, the Democratic candidate continues to enjoy a comfortable lead. Obama has a huge advantage among non-Christians, atheists, and agnostics, but he also leads among nonevangelical, born-again Christians (43 to 31), Christians who are neither born-again nor evangelical (44 to 28), Catholics (39 to 29), and Protestants (43 to 34). "If the current preferences stand pat," says Barna, "this would mark the first time in more than two decades that the born-again vote has swung toward the Democratic candidate."

by desertpear on 08/13/2008 09:02:51 PM EST

You mean to tell me (none / 0)

that you believe US News & World Report?  Pear please...  They're so liberally biased with their facts and all.

Seriously though, notice that they went Obama's way without him even really pandering to them?  He did the little faith based initiative thing, but he hasn't really touched on any of their key issues.  I guess everyone just hates McCain/republicans at this point.  Even Christians are choosing the "antichrist" over them.

by Spencer on 08/13/2008 09:58:02 PM EST

[ Parent ]
I wonder what would happen (none / 0)
If he had ran as the antichrist.  That could be an interesting campaign strategy.

by desertpear on 08/14/2008 03:22:05 AM EST

[ Parent ]
Tim Kaine? (none / 0)

Stumbled on this little video of Tim Kaine, Jim Webb, Mark Warner and other Virginia dems, in case you want a glimpse of Kaine. good little bio on him too.  Very Catholic, but I grew up with very liberal, pro-choice Catholics, so that doesn't scare me.  He's more like the 60's civil rights sort of Christian.  There's a big difference.

In 1979, Kaine graduated with a degree in economics from the University of Missouri and graduated from Harvard Law School in 1983. While in law school, he took a year off to work as a Christian missionary, serving as principal of a vocational and technical school in a small village in Honduras.

While City Councilman and Mayor of Richmond, Kaine led reforms to improve the city’s business climate, cutting taxes and enhancing services, helping Richmond become one of the 10 best cities in America to do business, according to Forbes magazine. He built the city’s first new schools in a generation, without raising taxes. Kaine was also a leader in implementing Project Exile, an award-winning crime-fighting strategy that helped cut the homicide rate in half and won support from both the NRA and gun safety organizations.

by desertpear on 08/14/2008 03:29:22 AM EST

Open Thread Anyone? | 47 comments (47 topical, 0 hidden)
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