Your Virtual Front Page, Friday, October 19, 2012

It’s a slow news day locally. How slow? Well, I had to smile at this classic slow-local-news-day headline on the WIS website: Lost AL boy kept warm by puppies. Moving on, here’s what’s going on in the rest of the world today:

  1. Bomb in Beirut Kills a Security Chief, Reviving Old Fears (NYT) — This may be related to the conflict in Syria. You should see the damage in the photo at that link. It’s a wonder it only killed eight people.
  2. Dow Ends Week With a Thud (WSJ) — Sorry, I don’t make the news up. I just pass it on.
  3. Ahead of Monday’s debate, campaigns hit Florida (WashPost) — Where they are neck-and-neck. Just once, it would be nice if Florida would make up its mind, and do so clearly.
  4. Obama’s new attack line: ‘Romnesia’ (WashPost) — Sheesh. This will be over soon, people.
  5. Obama Resilient in Swing State Polls (FiveThirtyEight) — The president holds a lead in 11 of the 13 swing states.
  6. Malala ‘can make smooth recovery’ (Guardian) — Trust the Brit papers to keep an eye on these things around the world.

30 thoughts on “Your Virtual Front Page, Friday, October 19, 2012”

  1. Kathryn Fenner

    How,about Nikki Haley’s quote in today’s The State saying the state planes are not for the convenience of officials (after saying she needed to use one earlier), but “for the people.” Where do I go to board?

  2. Brad

    Perennial populist claptrap. A silly little cabaret that some panderer at the State House feels compelled to perform ever few years. Now it’s Nikki Haley’s turn. This act was tiresome in the 80s…

  5. Brad

    Actually, Jesus would have been known in his time and place as Yeshua bar Yosef, which we would translate as Jesus, son of Joseph. When he traveled away from his hometown, he would have been know as Jesus of Nazareth. Yeshua was a common name. I believe it was actually the given name of Barabbas.

    “Christos,” I believe, is Greek for “the Annointed,” which he came to be called after his death. Much of the New Testament was originally written in Greek, and I suppose that was as close as they could get to “Messiah.”

    To bring it to the present day, they were trying to say he was “The One,” as they said in “The Matrix.” In “Dune,” the concept was named “the Mahdi,” or “the Lisan al Gaib”…

  7. Steven Davis II

    Obie – Austin… Mississippi, what are you talking about. No, I’m not from either, I have visited Austin, and driven through Mississippi as fast I could if that makes you feel better.

    As far as context, I just read another forum where someone wrote “Jesus H. Christ” and it got me thinking.

  8. Steven Davis II

    @Kathryn – If you’re willing to schedule a flight, and willing to pay the expenses for that flight you might be able to arrange to use it. Just not so sure you’re going to like the price.

  9. Steven Davis II

    4. When you have nothing to run on (such as your experience over the past four years), you resort to name calling.

    Maybe Obamacare can provide him with some sedatives to calm those panic attacks he’s starting to experience.

  11. Obiewankenobie

    Steven — the only personage I have ever ‘heard’ say J. “H” C. was Will Folks in his early days (i.e., before he was bankrolled by the mafia.

    Now, ‘Jesus Mary and Joseph’ ! is a legitimate regional phrase. Guess where from?

  15. Scout

    Steven I believe you have a problem with perspective. You were aware that nobody here was aware of your context and that your context was not relevant to this page when you posted your comment in response to that entirely other context here, right?

  17. bud

    The polls are extremely tight. I have mixed feelings about that. As a liberal I have a sense of horror that the nation may actually elect a flip-flopping, plutocrat creep whose sole reason to exist is to secure vast wealth for the richest of Americans while the rest of the people serve merely to shovel money into the financial coffers of a handful of elites. Not a pretty prospect.

    On the other hand, as a statistician the prospect of a tight race gives me a sugar rush contemplating the possibilities. It is becoming more and more a possibility that we will have a split decision with one candidate winning the popular vote while losing the electoral. Not sure why that doesn’t bother people more but oh well, it is what it is.

    The most likely of the two possibilities is for a Romney win in the popular while Obama hangs on to his rustbelt firewall (PA, OH, MI, WI and IA) thus winning by a 271-266 margin.

    Of course it is also possible it could work out the other way as Obama gets an unexpected big turnout in a few blue states or perhaps narrows the margin in places like Texas or Georgia yet loses either OH or WI. Either prospect is very possible.

    The results of the election could very well be determined tonight. Whoever handles the enormous pressure best in this event will likely be POTUS come January 20.

  18. Silence

    I’m in the “Yehoshua” camp, rather than the “Yeshua” camp. Also, since Joseph isn’t his biological dad – wouldn’t it be more appropriate to call him “Yehoshua ben YHVH” (the unspeakable name of G-d)?

  25. obiewankenobie

    Silence,

    It’s really rude to invade this thread with the 2nd most potent killer of civility: religion.

    Politics, as we all know, is #1.

    ###

    I could have sworn it was Peter Boyle, Ray Romano’s cranky father.

  26. Steven Davis II

    “Haploid”??? Were his parent’s Southerners? There was a kid on WIS last night from the Dreher High School Debate Team who introduced himself as “North”. I wonder if his parents had three other kids?

  27. Silence

    Obie – It was SDII who brought Jesús into the discussion. I just continued the discussion – most civily.

  28. Silence

    @SDII – Don’t say high school debate team, you’ll get Kathryn all excited. Just like if you’d said scholar’s bowl.

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