Norma Tanega: A Street That Rhymes at 6:00 AM

How had I never heard of this?

Bobbing for Decimals

Maybe it's the Danube or the spa culture that comes from having the highest concentration of hot springs in Europe, or the universal summer destination of Hungary's own Lake Balaton -- the largest lake in Central Europe-- or it could be the longing of a landlocked people for the distant sea. Maybe it's the abundance of state-of-the-art swimming facilities and a history of celebrity coaches, champions and world records.  Maybe it's the humidity.  Whatever the reason, Hungarians have long had an affinity for water.

Case in point: this mind-bending video from Ferenc Bákro-Nagy and Dániel Fiantok, with music from The Tear Garden, courtesy of index.hu (following a word from a sponsor. Tip 1: click on "hirdetés átugrása>" to skip the ad. Tip 2: Double-click on the video to go full screen):

The text in the video (the title of which is Enjoy the beauty of underwater ballerinas) is translated below:

What is synchronized swimming?  The artistic and elegant mix of dance and swimming during which competitors present various technical elements and formations.  The first organized competition was in Berlin in 1891.  From then, the sport of water ballet gained fame.  It has been an Olympic sport since 1984.  Practitioners compete solo, in pairs and in teams.  The technical and freestyle routines last from 2.5 to 5 minutes.  The judges score on a 0.0 to 10.0 decimal scale.  Attention is paid to the difficulty, choreography, synchronization and technical excellence of the routine.  The sport is dominated by Russia, followed by Japan and Spain.  Hungary ranks 16th in solo, and 21st in pairs in the world.  The Hungarian National team is competing in the World Championships in Budapest in every category.  The girls in the video are in the colors of the team at the downtown Home Defense Sports Association.  They are preparing for the Fina World Masters Championship in August.

Constructive whining

I’m starting to think that the main problem with being on the left is that there’s no reward in being right.   At least being on the right feels good even if the Dumasses are always wrong.  Maybe especially when they’re wrong, and no wonder they seem determined to cultivate error at every turn.  How can the left compete with that?

When I see the names of certain Cassandras on the left I get into an instant lemon pucker because I know whatever they are writing about is going to deeply suck on some level.  I feel my life already sucks without knowing the truth about everything.

More power to them and others of their ilk.  These pitbulls are at least on the job, but speaking for myself, I  rarely get the sense that there’s any hope underneath the fearless quest for truth.  What if the truth is: There is no hope?  We’re all screwed!  Is there a point at which you can say, "All right! Stop reminding me!"

I don’t have a constitution for vigilance.  But I don’t have a good alternative to vigilance either. As long as the root of so much of the miserable state we find ourselves in is self-inflicted and until the conversation becomes honest and inclusive and infused with the proper modicum of civility and intelligence and respect for our differences and desire to find and reach our common goals -- and we, all of us, need it to be sooner rather than later-- let the Cassandras have at it and try not to get in their way.