A Good, Old-fashioned Butt Kicking

That's how David Axelrod, Obama's Chief Strategist described it. While a win for Obama in South Carolina was almost a forgone conclusion, the scale of the win - a 28% percent margin - was certainly not anticipated. Obama's greater than 2 to 1 victory over Hillary came about primarily because of unprecedented voter turnout. Obama polled greater than Mike Huckabbe and John McCain combined in the Republican Primary here in South Carolina just a week ago. Moreover, Obama's total of more than 290,000 votes is greater than the entire turn-out in the 2004 South Carolina Democratic primary. While the large African-American population in SC is certainly a key factor in the scale of this win, the role of Obama's superb grassroots organising shouldn't be under-estimated. From CNN:

Much has been written about the strength of Barack Obama's ground organization in South Carolina, largely driven by volunteers. Some observers considered it his best among the early-voting states.

- snip -

Take, for instance, the tiny town of Estill, located in Hampton County in the southern part of the state.

In the 2004 presidential primary, just 264 total votes were cast in Estill.

In this primary race, the Obama campaign made sure to send staff and volunteers to the town. Tonight, amid unprecedented Democratic turnout across the state, 575 votes were cast in Estill, with 459 of them going to Obama, 92 to Hillary Clinton and 24 to John Edwards.

Obama's ability to motivate people, to energize volunteers and garner votes from people who have never voted before is a huge strength, and it's not just a fluke, now we've seen it in Iowa and South Carolina too. The Democrats would be very foolish to pass up this opportunity to capitalise on the Obamania that's building, and turn it into a land-slide victory in November.

And finally, it's time for the victory speech:



Yes we can!

- Mr. Ed


Update
In related news, both Ted Kennedy and Caroline Kennedy endorsed Obama today.


Photo via Andrew Sullivan (Photo: the scene at Obama headquarters in South Carolina tonight. Win McNamee/Getty.)

Primary day

- Mr. Ed

MLK Day

Remarks of Senator Barack Obama
"The Great Need of the Hour"
Ebenezer Baptist Church
Sunday, January 20th, 2008
Atlanta, Georgia
Update: Finally a video! (A video that was the 4th most popular video on youtube last week, I might add.)



Full text available here.

- Mr. Ed

Good luck Huck!

Well it's Caturday January 19th, which means it's the Republican primary here in South Cackolacky (Godless liberals, commies, etc. vote in the Democratic primary next Saturday). A lot of left of centre bloggers have been cheering on the Mittster lately but personally, I'm all about Huck. What won me over? Well, Chuck Norris was key, and his comments about the confederate flag certainly helped. In the end though, I think it was his profound knowledge of southern cuisine that really swayed me. What's that you say? Watch and learn:


Well after watching that, I'm starving.

Fixin' to git me sum snacks ya'll,
- Mr. Ed

On the trail

Well, it's been a rollercoaster week in the US Presidential Primaries. The Republican field is still four (or five?) strong and it's anyone's guess who'll win the nomination. On the Democratic side, the field has narrowed down to two (Sorry John Edwards fans). Hilary's upset win on Tuesday in New Hampshire has left the pollsters and pundits scratching their heads, but regardless the race goes on - in Nevada on the 19th and in South Carolina on the 26th. To that end, Senator Obama held a rally here in Chucktown today at the College of Charleston. Rumours of a surprise speaker had everyone aflutter, but when it turned out to be John Kerry the disappointment was palpable. Nevertheless, the former Democratic nominee gave Obama a glowing introduction, and perhaps more importantly, he will provide the Obama campaign with a very large list of potential supporters, leftover from the 2004 election. Obama gave a pretty solid stump speech to a typically raucous crowd, basking in the sunshine and 70 degree weather.

Here's a slideshow (with apologies to David Bowie) of some photos I took there:


And here's a short summary from NPR's All things Considered.

Saddling up with the pony for change,

- Mr. Ed

Iowa updates

Some more on the Iowa Cuacuses

The Iowa Democratic Party said that they were seeing record turnout, with 227,000 caucus attendees. In 2004, their turnout was about 125,000 caucus goers.

On the republican side of things the results are less clear. Huckabee trounced Romney. Thompson and McCain limped in with around 15% and Giuliani disappeared off the radar with around 4%, which is less than half the support the outsider Ron Paul received. Josh Marshall sums it up thus:

McCain had a pretty poor night tonight, coming in fourth behind the comatose Fred Thompson. But let's not kid ourselves. Romney took a big blow tonight. And if he can't come back strong in New Hampshire his collapse will be McCain's gain -- not because McCain's on fire or has any money or really is in any kind of strong position by most objective measures. The truth, though, is that there's simply no one left. It ain't Thompson; ain't Rudy. You can't say Huckabee's out of it but put me down with those that just don't think he can overcome the twin hurdles of a) running amongst more moderate and cosmopolitan Republican electorates and b) running against almost the entire GOP establishment. And that leaves you with McCain.

The truth is that the Republican party tonight is in complete disarray. The best financed candidate just fell on his face. Their big winner of the evening is opposed by almost the entire establishment of his party. The frontrunner of recent months is lost down in Florida shakily repeating '9/11' under his breath like a hobo who needs a stiff drink.

And finally here's Obama's victory speech:



That will do for now,

- Mr. Ed

Deliverance?

Well the 2008 election campaign is underway. This evening Iowans met up in High Schools, Town Halls and even front rooms to Caucus - a method of selecting a candidate that's right up there with divination and tarot cards for clarity and ease of comprehension.

As the first in the nation, the Iowa Caucus has always been important date in the political calendar, if not always a reliable indicator of the ultimate winner. Nevertheless, a slip up at the first hurdle can certainly spell trouble for a campaign going ahead. With that in mind, it is my enormous pleasure to announce to you, faithful Pony Clubbers, the results of the Democratic side of things (as of 11pm Eastern time):

Shrillary Clinton - 29.4%
John Haircut Edwards - 29.9%
Barack Hussein Obama - 37.5%.

Here's a clip from MSNBC. For the uninitiated, Chris Matthews (the fat-faced mewling blond one) is a bit of a Gareth Hunt, but his unabashed gushing over Obama's win can't be a bad thing. I'm not quite sure what he means by that deliverance comment, however, any and all comparisons to 1932 are surely welcome. Bring on the realignment!




Next stop New Hampshire,

- Mr. Ed

The best cover letter ever written in the history of the universe

The following is thieved wholesale from here.

Thank you for giving me the opportunity to further discuss my qualifications with you. I’ve done a lot of research on your organization, and I must say that I’m certainly very interested in the position.

While my undergraduate studies centered primarily on philosophy and literature, I know that I have what it takes to successfully take on a barely-supervised and structurally obsolete entry-level position such as the one you’re seeking to fill. First of all, I am very good at walking upright and in a straight line. I can do both actually, simultaneously. When I walk down a corridor from an elevator to one desk amid a sea of desks in a gray, sterile maze of cubicles, there is no doubt in any observer’s mind that I am, in fact, a person who is employed to give the appearance of performing significant tasks—my gait is clearly that purposeful.

I don’t blame you for wondering how research and writing in contemporary French hermeneutics might have prepared me for being an assistant database manager, but I believe that I can assuage some of your doubts by letting you know that I have always had a latent interest in tracking American consumer trends in single-serving freeze-dried soup packets, and I would relish the opportunity to explore this interest in a bland, suppressive, dehumanizing environment. Additionally, I’ve always picked up new software platforms quickly and competently, and I know that—given just a little bit of time to get familiar with the freeze-dried soup numbers game—I would be a valuable asset to Database Department 17, Subdivision 12.

The only character trait that I exhibit that might constitute a weakness in performing the duties of this position is my strong, personal commitment to sending e-mails to my boyfriend and playing Flash-driven online video games on an hourly basis, but I promise that if you offer me the position I will do my best to conceal these activities from you as much as possible. I am willing to go so far as to prepare love notes as inter-office memo text files and to furrow my brow in the manner of fierce concentration while playing rip-off versions of Tetris and Frogger.

I’ve sincerely enjoyed talking with you today. I especially enjoyed nodding with faux interest at your enthusiastic and glaringly mendacious description of a vibrant and embracing corporate culture. Pardon me for being frank, but let me say that—and I mean this only to ingratiate myself into securing health insurance benefits—you are a skilled orator. Have you considered, perhaps, a second career in motivational speaking?

Before we part ways, would it be too forward to ask if you have an approximate idea of when you’ll be making your hiring decision? Would it be appropriate, or more convenient for you, if I called shortly after that date? Assuming that I do not soon check myself into a state-funded substance abuse rehabilitation program or am not made any other offer of employment whatsoever, I would be thrilled to become the newest member of your team.


Best regards,
B.D.S.

You should read more of her blog, it's super with a light dusting of fantastic.

Missing my old happy-hour pard'ner,

- Mr. Ed

A crystallographic christmas

I solved a new crystal form of my protein today. In order to verify that the solution was right I generated a packing diagram, which is a sort of macro-view of the way that the molecules are arranged in the crystal lattice. If the molecules overlap - or clash - then the solution is wrong, since two objects can't occupy the same space. Equally, if the molecules aren't contacting one another at all then the solution is wrong because there would be nothing holding the crystal together. Well, my packing diagram showed that all was well with the solution - just enough touching and no overlaps - but there was an added bonus:
It looks like a snowflake! A Christmas miracle? Hardly. My crystals have six-fold symmetry, which happens to be the same as snow flakes (most of the time). Below is a side view of the packing diagram, which gives you a better idea of the 3D structure of the crystal:
You can see the snowflake shape runs right through the crystal. From this view it's not hard to imagine why my crystals grow as hexagonal rods - because their molecular structure is a series of hexagonal rods. And here is a slightly different view of the packing - a second snowflake!
Merry almost Christmas!

- Mr. Ed

Oh snap!

I'm looking forward to it too...

- Mr. Ed

Pony Club Summer Expedition...

In these dark and icy times, it seems right to revisit a little Pony Club Brand© Expedition which Beigey and I undertook. Ah yes, sweet Forges-les-Eaux; a name that may not necessarily mean all that much to most people, but...


Mais oui, c'est vrai...


Twinned with all kinds of places- some of them quite unusual...


The infamous "halte de l'autobus", but no sign of of those they describe as le posse de bus-stop...


After a couple of visits here, we just couldn't get enough of this place...


-Bluecupboard and Beigey

New News

I been a busy blighter lately. Last week I was in Chicago, here's a slide show of some of the photos I took there:

This is just a taste of what will be available at the all new and improved zvayam website soon. Stay tuned for further updates...

- Mr. Ed

Scouting In New Zealand Part 2

The adventures in NZ continue. In the last episode Scout was crossing the Cook Strait heading for the South Island.




- Scout

The Godfather of Soul

A tribute to the late, great James Brown who died last Christmas Day. Here he is painted on a wall in Brighton.

And below is a true gem. Footage of a younger, leaner JB giving a demo of his dance moves. Did he pioneer the robotic dance style?



Christ I need a job.

-Scout

Scouting in New Zealand Part 1

I can't quite get over that last blog but before I reach for the Ketamine to calm down from the shock I'm posting my next movie installment. Enjoy (with sound).




- Scout

Dirvers of the world beware...

- Mr. Ed

Tunetastic Tuesday

is back once again. Mesdames et Messieurs, je vous presente - Beirut!


I've been obsessed with Beirut for the last few months and Nantes, from their sublime second album The Flying Club Cup, is one of my favourite tunes. The driving force behind Beruit is the uber-talented, 21 year-old Zach Condon. If you'd like to find out more about Beirut, here's a good article on them from the Village Voice. Last year, Mount Wroclai (Idle days) - one of the my favourite songs from The Gulag Orkestar - was featured as the song of the day on NPR. Click here to read the blurb, and listen to the track for free.

Tchuss,

- Mr. Ed

Thanksgiving

was last week. I thought there should be at least some passing acknowledgment of the great American holiday, and to that end I'll now direct you over to The Adventures of Daniel Marie, who spent his Thanksgiving South of the Border. Here's a snippet to whet you're appetite...

"following dinner, we head to this little jazz club called "new orleans jazz club".... it may have been the sloppiest band i've ever seen although the tenor sax guy and the piano guy were alright. the trombonist was this old, fat, american who looked as though he loved jimmy buffet and left the states in a huff looking for glory in central america and found a huge collection of hawaiian shirts instead."

Now go and read the rest.

- Mr. Ed

Chuck Norris

You know the nomination race is heating up when Chuck Norris gets involved. For the uninitiated, Chuck Norris has been an internet phenomenon for a while. Tales of his great strength, skill and roundhouse kicks have been found on message boards and forums for years now. To illustrate this point, here are some of my favourite Chuck Norris Facts:

1. Guns don't kill people, Chuck Norris kills people.

2. The chief export of Chuck Norris is Pain.

3. Chuck Norris is ten feet tall, weighs two-tons, breathes fire, and could eat a hammer and take a shotgun blast standing.

4. Chuck Norris once ate three 72 oz. steaks in one hour. He spent the first 45 minutes having sex with his waitress.

5. Chuck Norris can win a game of Connect Four in only three moves.

6. Chuck Norris once challenged Lance Armstrong in a "Who has more testicles?" contest. Chuck Norris won by 5.

7. Chuck Norris once ate a whole cake before his friends could tell him there was a stripper in it.

8. On his birthday, Chuck Norris randomly selects one lucky child to be thrown into the sun.

9. Chuck Norris can touch MC Hammer.

10. Google won't search for Chuck Norris because it knows you don't find Chuck Norris, he finds you.

11. The square root of Chuck Norris is pain. Do not try to square Chuck Norris, the result is death.

12. Chuck Norris doesn't believe in Germany.

13. Count from one to ten. That's how long it would take Chuck Norris to kill you...Fourty seven times.

14. Chuck Norris wears a live rattlesnake as a condom.


So that's all well and good. But what is the deal with this campaign ad featuring Chuck Norris?



I have a sneaking feeling the evangelical movement (Huckabee's main constituency) is unlikely to be well versed in Chuck-trivia. So is this a stroke of genius, madness, or desperation on the part of the Huckabee campaign? I suppose we'll have to wait and see...


- Mr. Ed

Bugger

...

- Mr. Ed