Morning Roundup
A few things that caught my eye ’round about sunrise:
Saddam’s worst nightmare is coming true. We’ve turned him over to his own people for justice.
Massive pro-democracy demonstrations are on tap in Hong Kong. From the article:
Organizers expect 300,000 people to brave stifling heat to press Beijing to allow them greater voting rights. That is less than the half a million who poured onto the streets on July 1 last year, but the desire for more democracy does not appear to have dwindled.
…
Last July 1, half a million people poured into Hong Kong’s streets to denounce plans by the local Beijing-backed government to enact a tough anti-subversion law, criticize its handling of the weak economy and demand more political freedom.
The outpouring of public anger shocked Chinese leaders, who fear growing calls for democracy here could spill over into the mainland.
This event deserves major-league blogosphere coverage.
The LA Times realizes (belatedly) that the “Gore Tax” is a huge boondoggle. They can’t quite bring themselves to call for its abolition, but it’s a start.
According to Gallup, 70% of Americans “probably or definitely” won’t be reading Bill Clinton’s new book.
The British Labour Party plans to put a public smoking ban in its next electoral platform. I’ve no idea whether this helps or hurts Tony Blair today, but most of the Brits I encountered when I lived over there in 1990-91 smoked like they had titanium lungs. Still, if it can happen in California, Florida, and New York City, I suppose it could happen in Britain.
If you get stopped by a registration requirement, click over to BugMeNot.com, the second most useful site on the web right now (after Google), for an anonymous login and password.
And finally, the “Ouch” of the day goes to a reader who commented under my “Feedback” post:
Yes? Rush? ZZ Top? Pink Floyd? King Crimson? Aerosmith? How old are you people?
It’d be even funnier if he hadn’t gone on to reference two bands (the Pixies and Cure) who’re currently on 20th anniversary tours themselves…
“Even funnier?” Hell, that just makes the pain even worse. I’ve even gone so far these days as to start referring to spiritous likker as “rheumatiz medicine…”
Punk kids. What do they know?
26
<Dennis>
I’m 37. I’m not old.
</Dennis>
Rich, hilarious. Good one!
I’m 26 and loving the older stuff.
As the offending poster, I just wanted to razz Will, et al., about choosing bands that existed before or shortly after I was born. As for The Pixies, I think they formed in 1986 at the earliest, so they’re not quite at their 20th anniversary. I mentioned The Cure only because The Pixies opened for them (even though I was a fan).
Brits are taking the Irish lead one step further. The Micks banned smoking in pubs in late March of this year (while this ‘Marlboro Man’ was there). The publicans/landlords that I spoke to said that they’ll have to either open an outside smoking ‘garden’, lay off employees, or close shop.
All this to appease the EUnichs. Pitty.
I think the initial “ouch” was made in the post itself: “Are they still around, still recording and/or touring?” If you have to ask this question in this age of undead dino-rockers like Aerosmith, the Stones, and Kiss, you’re talking *old*. If he isn’t Elvis and doesn’t play the harpsichord, he’s probably still around and recording. Heck Tupac has been dead for years and he’s still releasing CDs!
I’ve never heard a single song by Phish but I’ll vote for them since they at least had the decency to pack it in before they became a punch line…and in related news Liv Tyler just had her baby…making Steven the *third grandpa* in Aerosmith.
Gore tax filled with fraud and waste: L.A. Times
When the L.A. Times criticizes a tax idea, you know it's bad. It's another "good idea" that hasn't delivered much to its targeted beneficiaries, and never received the scrutiny it should have.Tucked into the Telecommunications …
Gweilo??? reported that all trips from the mainland are canceled until this is over.
Don’t want the mainlanders getting any ideas.
I first realised I was getting old in the late Eighties, when I saw an “