I love this, in the sense that I admire the audacity of it. It's not quite what it looks on the surface. It appears to be blatant hypocrisy. But it isn't. Actually it's unbelievable cynicism. So I have decided after giving the matter some thought.

It appears to be hypocrisy because Republicans accuse Democrats of being elitists when the Republicans themselves clearly comprise the elite. When John McCain was asked how many houses he owned, he could not answer. The current president, George W. Bush, is the son of a former eponymous president, and is a scion of privilege. Republicans paint Democrats as remote and out of touch, when the same Republicans themselves wouldn't like to go within ten miles of a poor person. George Bush doesn't even read the papers or watch TV. Republicans have no idea at all how ordinary people live, and they certainly don't care. And yet Barack Obama is an "elitist". How can they maintain this hypocrisy?

Well, they can simply lie out of their arses, of course, and we know that Rove politics is hardly above that. But I've been giving this some thought, and it occurred to me that when campaigning, the Republicans always speak in code. For example, states' rights means keeping black people under the boot. Moral values means banning abortion. That sort of thing. You can think of many more examples.

So "elitist" is probably code too. But for what? Well, let's examine how the word is usually used. Republicans usually use it in a sentence that also includes the words "latte", "effete", "east coast", "urban", and so on. All words that hint at sophistication. Or, in other words, intelligence.

Yes. Isn't it amazing? The Republicans, when they call a Democrat an "elitist", are actually insulting the intelligence of their own base. They're insinuating that they shouldn't vote for a Democrat because the Democrat isn't "one of them", meaning that they're stupid and the Democrat isn't.

How breathtakingly cynical is that?

Went out dancing again tonight. The ballroom dancing classes started up again after the summer break, but Emily and I aren't doing that because it's for absolute beginners again and we didn't fancy learning again everything we learned already. But they do rock & roll dancing on the same night, and it looked a lot of fun, so I went along for that instead.

Emily didn't come, it was her first day back at school (she's a teacher) so she gave it a miss and said she'd come next week. Fortunately, it didn't really matter, because in the rock and roll we all swap partners anyway. I danced with everybody a couple of times. Funny, there were almost as many men as women. That doesn't usually happen.

What can I say? It is as much fun as it looks. I love the music, for a start. It must be a very dour person who can hear Shake, Rattle and Roll and not want to move their feet. Not me, that's for sure. I'm a natural fidget. But apparently I have rhythm too. Not bad for a nerd, eh?

Those who are tasked to police this democracy are blinded by confetti

The fact that this administration has been criminally incompetent is now the stuff of water-cooler orthodoxy. The fact that it has been plain criminal is not. But it should be. Under George Bush the US has tortured, disenfranchised, lied, spied and, on more than one occasion, flouted its own constitution. Those who would not go along were fired or demoted. Those rulings it could not garner support for it simply classified or hid. Those inquiries it could not prevent it thwarted. When Major General Antonio Taguba tried to pursue his investigation of Abu Ghraib up the chain of command he was stopped. "I was legally prevented from further investigation into higher authority," he told the New Yorker.

Its violation of international law is ultimately a matter for the international community. But its violation of American laws is a matter for the American public. However, it is now clear that the political consequences of these transgressions will range from negligible to non-existent. The Bush administration should be led away in handcuffs - either indicted or impeached. Instead it is about to leave the scene of the crime in broad daylight while those tasked to police this democracy - notably politicians and the press - blind themselves with confetti.

Those who regard impeachment as merely a vindictive attempt to adjudicate the past display a chronic lack of imagination. True, it is not going to happen. But that makes it no less morally compelling or politically relevant to argue that it should. Trying to look ahead without acknowledging how you got to where you are is a surefire way to end up wandering around in circles. And the last place the Democrats want to be is where they were.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/20...

How refreshing to read some plain speaking for a change. The government broke the law! In very serious ways. Doesn't that matter? This is more important than politics.

The guy on the left is Steve Schmidt, protege of Karl Rove. Rove himself may be gone, but his brand of campaigning remains, and the old evil bastard had to leave behind a new evil bastard to take up the reins.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2008/aug/3...

The sad thing is, the Republicans won't ever stop pulling this shit as long as it keeps working - or until somebody makes it illegal.

and it needs fillin' !

I'm currently breaking in new towels in the bathroom. Whenever I do this, for the next few weeks I seem to collect fluff on the end of my ......

I wonder if this is a common experience or particular to me?

I cancelled my subscription on the Dating website months ago. But I decided to resurrect my profile so people can see it. This is how I described myself:

Headline: You wouldn't understand

Why should you get to know billyskank?

Because I'm a fucking fabulous potential boyfriend for someone with the wit and discrimination to see it. I'm kind, thoughtful and considerate, intelligent and deep. I can dance the waltz and the tango. I can take you for a foxtrot and whisk you across the floor in a quickstep. I'm decent in the kitchen and a fantastically talented artist. I could be a wonderful lover for somebody with the patience to teach me what she wanted in the bedroom. I could make you laugh when you're happy and comfort you when you're sad. I'd hold your hair when you're puking. I'm well domesticated, I'm unobtrusive, I keep my apartment tidy and I'm generally very easy to live with.

Not that you will discover any of this. This is my last effort before I decide women are a waste of time and embrace celibacy. I am fed up with being passed over. I don't expect you to choose me - in fact you're atypical if you're even reading this. Most people will go along and hook up with somebody with better hair, a better smile, a better job or more interesting hobbies. There are plenty of them on this site.

I'm not going to chase after women any more. It is a game for fools. I'm not even going to browse other profiles. I don't have a subscription any more and I don't expect to need one. I am leaving this up on the site as a testimony to the brilliant boyfriend that nobody ever had.

From the Matcom News European bureaux:

A giant inflatable dog turd created by the American artist Paul McCarthy was blown from its moorings at a Swiss museum, bringing down a power line and breaking a window before landing in the grounds of a children's home.



http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2008/aug/1...

I live for headlines like that.

Who needs acid when you have Winamp visualisations?

I was so tripped out I even forgot I was listening to Roachford.

Only women do that. Guys with new babies never bring their kids into work. Actually he was there with his girlfriend, but my point stands. It's only because they both work here. He would never have brought his kid in otherwise.

All the women were cooing and saying how cute it was. I thought it looked like the mutant leader from Total Recall.

I kept my mouth shut.

On the saturday we took to the streets en masse, and some pictures of a sunset:

I fear to think how much it would cost to buy. This is the view from their bedroom window for a week:

One evening at dusk:





This tower housed a clock which had no face, but instead rang a bell every 15 minutes. It would chime a large bell to tell you the hour, followed by a smaller bell which would chime once, twice, or three times for quarter past, half past and quarter to. You could hear it at night if you left your window open, which we always did. It sounds like it would annoy you during the night, but I found it very restful:



My feet drying after having been dipped in the lake at the end of a long day with lots of walking:



This is Mohan, a straightedge hardcore punk Hare Krishna from Finland:



Trees and paths just next to the lake:

An impromptu class (actually more of a question-and-answer session) on the grass:



The person speaking on the left is my best friend who left for China two years ago. This festival was the first time I had seen him since.

The view from a random balcony:



A group of sannyasis (renunciates) giving class:



Where do these stairs go?



(Curiosity got the better of me and I climbed them to find out. Disappointingly, they went nowhere).

The gang at lunch:



No words for this one, just enjoy it:



Vamsi from Germany (left) and Sunanda from France, eating dinner:



I love the way my group of friends at these festivals are from all over Europe: france, belgium, germany, finland, switzerland. It is so nice to get out of your normal routine and hang out with foreign people for a while.

The gang resting on the second to last day. For some of them it was actually the last day, because they had to leave early.



Me wearing a dhoti, holding the camera with a shaky hand:



And from the front, with a steadier hand:

The park is by the lake, and it was a warm summer's evening. A group of musicians from our festival went and gave a concert of devotional songs: