Archive
Year: 2008
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Posts from America (4) – Judgement day
November 5, 2008
We've been on the streets of the voting precincts of Centennial Hills in NW Vegas since 6am. It's an area, like all of Vegas, which is carved out of the dessert. To me it feels a bit like human beings will only be here temporarily. I write this because, coming from a temperate climate where we're used to lots of water, lots of trees and a fair amount of wildlife I just can't fathom how...
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Twitter, the US elections and Brussels
November 5, 2008
Image via CrunchBase Check out the coverage of the use of Twitter in the US elections today referenced over at the Guardian but picked up widely elsewhere, here and here. As Americans are going to the polls they have been able to report their experiences at the booths using Twitter by adding the hashtag #votereport to their tweets. Lots of long queues and dodgy machines as I am reading but hopefully not too many hanging...
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Looking for volunteers – freebies for the European elections?
November 5, 2008
In the US, Starbucks is offering a a free 'tall' cup of coffee to anyone who comes in today - election day - and says, "I voted. Gimme a cuppa joe." [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a2J8KJDsqqY] In the current economic climate, I'm sure a few Starbuck's employees think, as Starbuck himself thought, that they are here in this critical market to sell coffee for living, and not to give it away for politics. But regardless, people have noticed, and...
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Posts from America (3) – The only day that counts is tomorrow
November 4, 2008
Image by Getty Images via Daylife Michelle Obama flew in today and held a rally at the College of South Nevada. The accompanying photo shows her at the event. Her speech went down really well with the enthusiastic audience of around five hundred, who stood in the glorious sunshine to chant 'Yes We Can!' and show their appreciation of Michelle's part in the campaign. The speech was more of an emotional testimonial than a detailed...
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Posts from America (2) – Viva Las Vegas
November 3, 2008
Image by Getty Images via Daylife I've never been to Nevada before and I may be suffering from culture shock. There's a well known phrase that what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas and I certainly don't intend to give a lengthy explanation of the ins and outs of last night so I'll skip straight to the campaigning... We had to get up early to drive to the campaign headquarters. Our destination turned out to...
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Posts from America (1)
November 3, 2008
It was Halloween when I touched down in LA yesterday. I'd heard that Americans like to dress up on 31st October, but I wasn't prepared for what I was greeted with. A woman next to me at baggage reclaim was dressed all in black with multiple skull and crossbones tatooed onto her shaved head. Her friend had a bllood trail coming from her mouth and looked as if she's just been punched. At first I...
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Keep it simple stupid
October 31, 2008
Image via Wikipedia The European Parliament today joined the Council and the Commission in adding RSS feeds to its website. There's a general feed for the general public, presumably that will be fed by the same stories currently featuring on the landing page. A second group of feeds is focused on the needs of journalists, offering background briefings, press releases and summaries of reports adopted. Finally there are feeds for three types of podcast, the...
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If the world could vote…
October 29, 2008
Image via Wikipedia The Economist is running an interesting online Vote 2008 poll entitled Global Electoral College - what if the world could vote. I've been tracking developments over the last few days and things don't look good for John McCain. A few days ago the only countries definitely in favour of a McCain presidency were Georgia and Iraq. Namibia, Sudan and Algeria were on the cusp of endorsing the Senator from Arizona and Macedonia, Columbia, Venezuela...
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Reding Plays Hardball Over Telecoms Regulation
October 28, 2008
So Commissioner Viviane Reding has decided to play hardball over telecoms reform. Some weeks ago we discussed how the Commission’s proposed telecoms package would hand over extensive new powers to Brussels. The European Parliament watered down these proposals in first reading, but it seems that the revised version to be sent to the Council gives little ground on the core issue...
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Spring comes early to Place Luxembourg, or…
October 28, 2008
how an energy company learned how to stop fearing climate activism and love grass roots mobilisation. Place du Luxembourg, the glamorous square in front of the European Parliament building, seemed to think that it was time to sprout a beautiful field of sunny, yellow plastic figurines this week. In fact, as part of the Vattenfall Climate Manifesto campaign which we mentioned previously, they have followed through on their threat and delivered one plastic figure for...