Really? The Grand Canyon State?!

There has been a fair amount of rumbling of late on the internets that John McCain's home state of Arizona is coming into play in the closing days of this (extra long) campaign. And while it's just one poll, the latest out of Arizona has to make you happy if you've been saying "yes we can!" a lot lately and pretty down in the mouth if you still (somehow) think that McCain might make a good President.

The poll, from Research 2000 (for Daily Kos) has McCain up 48-47 and includes the tantalizing internals that early voters in the state are breaking for Obama 54-42 and that if there was a vote for Senator between the Democratic Govenor, Janet Napalitano, and McCain she'd wipe the floor with him 53-45. (I know, I know polls don't tell us whats gonna happen, enough said)

There is now at least one report that McCain will spend Monday night in Arizona shoring up support, rather than in say Ohio or Virginia among other crucial so called swing states.

Add to that the fact that the Obama campaign has added Arizona to their final media buy (the positive closing message spot will run) and that Obama campaign manager David Plouffe had the following to say this morning:

We think things have tightened up in Arizona. We are running a positive ad there ... [because we] think a positive ad there can help make a case. We have a lot of volunteers out there, and we’re doing well with Hispanic and suburban voters in Maricopa County ... If someone else had been the Republican nominee, [Arizona] would have been a battleground like its Southwestern neighbors. Our internal data suggest that this could be a very, very close race. Independent voters in the West are leaning very heavily toward Sen. Obama. We see that [in Colorado] and we see that same pattern in Arizona. It’s enough in the realm of the possible that we want to put a little extra effort in the end.

...and suddenly I'll be keeping a closer eye on the Arizona returns on Tuesday night.



Bonus Goodie: Ronald Reagan Chief of Staff Kenneth Duberstein just endorsed Obama.

Foto Friday Riposte

ed note: the photo will be posted soon, bear with us

Foto Friday - Lives

Even if Tempelhof Airport is no more.

Fabrizio Bensch/Reuters - From NYT

That's a DC-3 leaving Tempelhof as the last flight ever. The DC-3 and Tempelhof were made famous during the Berlin Airlift in 1948-49, you really ought to know what I'm talking about.

Read the article on the airport's final flights in the NY Times.

Two Thousand Words...

This is the cover of yesterday's NY Times. The pictures say it all, but in case they aren't enough for you, let me point out that McCain canceled his speech "due to weather" while Obama spoke to 9,000 people in a cold fall rain.

Who do you think will be our next president?

Down to the Wire...

I'm showing you this video because I was a big fan of The Wire and I'm also a big fan of the many States previously considered safe for McCain that are currently in play including North Carolina (subject of this video), Montana, and, unbelievably, Arizona among others.

Take a look:

(via kottke)

What strikes me about this video is just how many people are involved this time around, from the donations that have poured in, to the volunteers and ability of the ground game, to the Republican endorsements, to the celebrity assists.

Folks are inspired by Barack Obama and in a way that they just straight up haven't been by the past several Democratic candidates.

Actually, That is What's Up

I skipped over this video when it first dropped (about two weeks ago?) figuring that it was probably a low production take off of the great old Bud commercials from back in the day when the ads during the Superbowl were really something special.

After traveling back to the DC area from Saipan I finally caught the video on my friend Angelo's blog, and well; That's whats up...

He's that Christopher Buckley?

By now we all know that William F. Buckley's kid, Chris, lost his spot at the National Review (the magazine that his old man founded) over his decision to announce that he'll be voting for Obama next week.

Much has been made of his addition to the list of Obama-cons or whatever exactly the cool kids are calling Republicans who are supporting Obama this fall. But that's not really what I want to talk about, I want to point out that the Christopher Buckley who has drawn the ire of the right over the past week is the same Christopher Buckley who wrote Thank You For Smoking, which while I haven't actually read, was turned into an incredible satirical film of the same name.

That's Awesome!

How'd I finally connect the dots? The Sunday NYT Magazine of course.

Cutest. Campaign Photo. Ever.

Of course this just means that the little kid is a terrorist too.

(from The Stump via EK)

Brave New World

photo from New York Times

I just finished reading an article from the April 13 issue of the Sunday Times Magazine (I've been saving them for the crosswords) about the future applications of cell phones (or mobile phone if you're just about anywhere else in fact most phones I've owned have used the label 'mobile' when classifying the type of line for a contact) specifically their economic and social impacts in the developing world.

The developing world, both rural and in the slums of the worlds largest cities (Mumbai and Rio spring to mind), is the next market for cell phone manufacturers, seeing as how everywhere else folks already have phones (cell and otherwise).

If you're interested in technology and its impact you'll know a lot of whats covered in the article already, if not you'll probably be a bit surprised at the ways in which cell phones are changing peoples lives throughout the developing world. My favorite tidbit was the home grown money transfer program running in Uganda where you buy a pre-paid card and call the PIN to someone else to use, normally someone running a business as the village phone, who then gives that amount to who you were trying to send it to. Very cool.

So go read the article, and then check out the blog of the main guy, Jan Chipchase.

Read This Now - Origins of Five Thirty Eight

New York Magazine recently ran an excellent profile of Nate Silver, the statistical genius and baseball geek behind Five Thirty Eight, which is of course one of the best things to happen to online political junkies perhaps ever.

Needless to say, you should check it out.

Beyonce - The Cliff Notes

Sasha Frere-Jones (The New Yorker's pop-music writer) has a great listener's guide for Beyonce tucked into his latest post, ostensibly on pop-producers and the direction of the genre today...

Beyoncé, for all her traditional behavior as good-looking good girl, is building a catalogue of songs that have little to do with traditional expressions of love or pain. She is most fond of the second person, and her hits, in the aggregate, form a sort of default advice column. She isn’t as interested in her own pain as she is in telling others what mistakes not to make. I’ve made a small list of her key talking points, reaching back to her work in Destiny’s Child:

“No, No, No”: Be entirely clear with your partner; vague language can lead to confusion and hurt feelings.

“Bills, Bills, Bills”: Money and romance do not mix, so keep separate bank accounts and go Dutch until your relationship is stable.

“Bug-A-Boo”: Constant communication can feel more like harassment than affection.

“Say My Name”: If your partner is avoiding you, arrange a face-to-face meeting. Monosyllabic answers and lack of affection can be an indication of deeper troubles.

“Jumpin’, Jumpin’”: Couples do not necessarily need to spend every night together. Plan one night a week where you are with your friends, and he with his.

“Independent Women Part 1”: If you pay for your own shoes, you are more likely to judge your relationship on its own merits rather than a tallying of goods exchanged. (Get Cameron Diaz to help you count your belongings, if you feel like you’re losing track.)

“Bootylicious”: If you are more experienced than your partner, make sure to be explicit about your needs and expectations. Direct questions will save time and decrease anxiety. (Comfortable jelly levels, for example, should be established early on in any relationship.)

“Check On It”: If a man shows sustained interested, allow him to get close to you over dinner, or a movie. Leave your options open. If he has a friend, perhaps invite him along; the friend can act as a control group for the evening.

“Ring The Alarm”: Fights are not always unhealthy. Sometimes, a blowout can be cathartic and release pressure that might be damaging your ability to communicate. Introduce a sense of play into your arguments—megaphones are fun (make sure your neighbors are familiar with your routine, and don’t call the police), and role-playing can help defuse anger with humor.

“Irreplaceable”: If your ex is having trouble finding his way out of the house, provide clear and consistent directions. Men are sometimes challenged by the word “straight,” which has sexual overtones. Suggest that he go left or right, terms familiar from both baseball and driving. Also, keep several empty boxes on hand. (Once broken down flat, boxes can fit horizontally into a closet or under a leaky houseplant.)

“Freakum Dress”: Be sure you own at least one freakum dress. If you find one you really like, consider buying several of them in different colors. (Make sure you have a friend who can explain what a freakum dress is.)

“Single Ladies”: If a man values your relationship, be prepared to demand a commitment. Suggest that he signal the value of his commitment by buying you an enormous piece of jewelry, something big enough to kill a hamster with one mild blow.

Read This Now - Quote of the Day

Reprinted in full from Paul Krugman...

We are all dead

President Bush, this morning:

In the long run, the American people can have confidence that our economy will bounce back.

John Maynard Keynes:

But this long run is a misleading guide to current affairs. In the long run we are all dead. Economists set themselves too easy, too useless a task if in tempestuous seasons they can only tell us that when the storm is long past the ocean is flat again.

Really Big Numbers

All I can say is 'wow' too.

That is 100,000 people at an Obama rally in St. Louis, which is obviously a lot of folks and a record turnout for US politics. (via WR)

In other big number news, Obama is expected to announce that his campaign raised 100 million dollars last month (September).

While we're at it Colin Powell is on Meet the Press tomorrow morning, wonder what he'll have to say...

I Like Turtles - Berkley Breathed On the End

BB talks about Opus, the comics, kids' books, and the political climate...

The very, absolute last comic strip characters destined to become true household words across America were invented 23 years ago: Calvin & Hobbes. There are and will be no more new ones.

(b/c I'm a C&H fanatic)

W. is Here

Oliver Stone's latest has arrived. The biopic W. hit theaters this weekend to mixed reviews...

Salon -
There's nothing overtly or even subtly disreputable about Oliver Stone's "W.," which is exactly what's wrong with it. I admit that my hopes were probably too high: In these twilight days of the George W. Bush administration, I find my anger intensifying rather than abating, and I was hoping "W." would be a more cathartic exercise than it is.

Entertainment Weekly -
At least Brolin is never cheap. Representing a man who finds both salvation in Jesus and relief that one of his intelligence reports is only three pages long, the actor digs deep. He's the A in W., heh-heh. The rest is C+.

The Onion AV Club (see also Oliver Stone interview) -
It's a credit to Josh Brolin's superb performance that the film works at all; as the lead, he transcends a gallery of Saturday Night Live-level impersonations by seizing on the essence of Bush's character rather than his arsenal of funny mannerisms. Brolin plays Bush as an incurious, rule-from-the-gut leader who bought into the cowboy image his campaign teams liked to promote. As president, he comes across both as easily manipulated and as needing to be "the decider"; his advisers cleverly thread the needle by feeding him their ideas and making it seem like they were his.

The New York Times -
The megamillion-dollar question that hovers over Oliver Stone’s queasily enjoyable “W.,” his Oedipal story about the rise and fall, fall, fall of George W. Bush is: why? Neither a pure (nor impure) sendup of the president nor a wholesale takedown, the film looks like a traditional biopic with all the usual trappings, including name actors in political drag — Josh Brolin plays the frat boy who would be king, while Richard Dreyfuss creeps around in a Dick Cheney sneer — alternately choking on pretzels and spleen, and reciting all the familiar lines and lies. History is said to repeat itself as tragedy and farce, but here it registers as a full-blown burlesque.

And since this is a blog and I believe in the power of the internet, W. is running at 54% at Rotten Tomatoes.

(editor's note: I tried to get this up on Friday (Thursday for you east coasters) but just found the time, I'm a little busy trying to save the world.)

Yes We Carve!

Halloween is nearly upon us and folks are starting to give out Jack O' Lantern lobotomies. Some people are getting a little political and having a lot of fun with their pumpkins this year, and you can join in the fun.

Have a look, maybe carve one yourself...

Pumpkin of the day:


And that took some concentration:


(via epolitics)

Does That Look Right to You?

The eyeballing game is tons of fun.

Just start playing you'll figure it out, there's also a good about section if you're the kind of person who reads the instructions first.

My best (and so far only) score is a 3.59 (the lower the better, you'll see when you play).

This is definitely my new favorite time waster...

(from Kottke who only got a 4.34)

Read This Now - Krugman on Krugman

Paul Krugman takes the time to explain the work for which he was awarded this year's Nobel Prize for Economics. Easy to understand, simple, precise, brilliant.

Don't Get Your Hopes Up - Republican Consultants Feel Like They're Taking Crazy Pills

File this one away with all of that strong recent polling if you don't want to get overly optimistic about the eventual outcome of this election.

This has been all over the internet for the past couple of days but I thought it was worth bringing to your attention just in case. This is how much people hate the Republicans right now, it almost (almost) seems as though the general public is starting to see the light.

(Reprinted in full from Ben Smith's Politico Blog)

Voting for Obama anyway

I just got an astounding e-mail from a Republican consultant I know well. He's a guy who's always thought Obama had a "glass jaw," and was always among those agitating for hitting Obama harder.

Recently, he conducted a focus group in an upper-Midwestern state, showing them the kind of ad he thought would work: A no-holds-barred attack, cut for an independent group, which hasn't aired.

I'm just going to reprint his amazed e-mail about the focus group:

Reagan Dems and Independents. Call them blue-collar plus. Slightly more Target than Walmart.

Yes, the spot worked. Yes, they believed the charges against Obama. Yes, they actually think he's too liberal, consorts with bad people and WON'T BE A GOOD PRESIDENT...but they STILL don't give a f***. They said right out, "He won't do anything better than McCain" but they're STILL voting for Obama.

The two most unreal moments of my professional life of watching focus groups:

54 year-old white male, voted Kerry '04, Bush '00, Dole '96, hunter, NASCAR fan...hard for Obama said: "I'm gonna hate him the minute I vote for him. He's gonna be a bad president. But I won't ever vote for another god-damn Republican. I want the government to take over all of Wall Street and bankers and the car companies and Wal-Mart run this county like we used to when Reagan was President."

The next was a woman, late 50s, Democrat but strongly pro-life. Loved B. and H. Clinton, loved Bush in 2000. "Well, I don't know much about this terrorist group Barack used to be in with that Weather guy but I'm sick of paying for health insurance at work and that's why I'm supporting Barack."

I felt like I was taking crazy pills. I sat on the other side of the glass and realized...this really is the Apocalypse. The Seventh Seal is broken and its time for eight years of pure, delicious crazy....

Wow, people are definitely still nuts, and they're willing to buy this guy's slime all the way, but in the end they just don't care, they'd rather vote for Obama and at least some of them (the woman from above) are doing so on the issues.

John McCain Doesn't Like to Ask Permission

As Senator McCain has become increasingly cranky and nasty during the home stretch of this (admittedly grueling) campaign it has become clear that he pretty much thinks he deserves to be President and can't stand the fact that the public doesn't seem to agree.

In addition to not wanting to ask the voters' permission before moving into the White House, McCain (and Palin) don't like to ask for musicians' permission before co-opting there songs.

Jon Bon Jovi became the latest performer to insist that the McCain-Palin campaign stop using their music.

We are surprised to hear that our song, "Who Says You Can't Go Home" was used by the McCain campaign at rallies yesterday and today. We wrote this song as a thank you to those who have supported us over the past twenty-five years. The song has since become a banner for our home state of New Jersey and the defacto theme song for our partnerships around the country to build homes and rebuild communities. Although we were not asked, we do not approve of their use of 'Home.

Other upset artists include:

Heart (Barracuda)

The Republican campaign did not ask for permission to use the song, nor would they have been granted that permission. We have asked the Republican campaign publicly not to use our music. We hope our wishes will be honored.

Jackson Browne (Running on Empty)

Browne, one of rock music's most famous activists for liberal causes, is "incensed" that the presumptive Republican candidate for president has been using Browne's signature 1977 song "Running on Empty" in campaign commercials, according to the singer-songwriter's attorney. Browne filed a copyright infringement lawsuit against both McCain and the Republican National Committee on Thursday in U.S. District Court in Los Angeles seeking a permanent injunction prohibiting the use of the forlorn arena anthem or any other Browne compositions, as well as damages.

Mike Myers (Wayne's World)

But the ad may have crossed the copyright line at the end by including footage of Mike Myers and Dana Carvey doing their Wayne and Garth "We're not worthy" schtick from years past on "Saturday Night Live."

Hollywood types jumped into the fray, directing the McCain campaign to cease and desist -- and so it did.

“Apparently Mike Myers thought we weren’t worthy,” McCain spokesman Brian Rogers said in an e-mail.

John Mellencamp (Our Country, Pink Houses)

his reps are quietly reaching out to McCain and asking him to stop playing his tunes. (McCain’s press office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.)

Frankie Valli (Can't Take My Eyes Off of You)

The Warner Music Group asserted its copyright claim against YouTube, which is the reason for the take-down. McCain's campaign has re-posted the video, sans Warner's intellectual property.

The Rocky Theme Song

After playing the anthemic horns of the "Rocky" theme song at his rallies, the owner of the song's copyright telephoned the McCain campaign to politely complain it was being used without permission, McCain said.

The Foo Fighters (My Hero)

"It's frustrating and infuriating that someone who claims to speak for the American people would repeatedly show such little respect for creativity and intellectual property," they growled. "This isn't the first time the McCain campaign has used a song without making any attempt to get approval or permission from the artist."

The band said that permission to use the song was not sought from them, their management, their label or their publisher.

"The saddest thing about this is that My Hero was written as a celebration of the common man and his extraordinary potential," the statement reads, although many fans have speculated that the song, written by Foo Fighters frontman Dave Grohl, refers to his admiration for former Nirvana bandmate Kurt Cobain.

"To have it appropriated without our knowledge and used in a manner that perverts the original sentiment of the lyric just tarnishes the song. We hope that the McCain campaign will do the right thing and stop using our song — and start asking artists' permission in general."

And not to be outdone, Fox News

The Fox News Channel sent notices to the campaigns of the leading Republican presidential candidates ordering them to stop using images from their Fox appearances in their campaign ads. The notices were sent out after the network was criticized for singling out only Senator John McCain’s campaign in barring use of the images.

That's a pretty big list folks, and it's bipartisan even. I found these nine examples in about 20 minutes of looking, there may well be others out there.

Nobel Laureate Paul Krugman

I don't actually have the time to read everything and make an actual comment on this. Suffice it to say that (as should be obvious) I pay a good deal of attention to what Dr. Krugman has to say, both economically and politically, and as such I'm glad to see him receive this honor.

Most commenters seem to agree that it has been a long time coming and that being so political of late may have delayed the event.

A second running theme has been that the Nobel Committee must have it in for Bush, first Al Gore and now Paul Krugman etc.

Here is a sampling of economic thinkers who I follow online and their thoughts...

Freakonomics (Levitt, and Wolfers)

Dean Baker (Doesn't say much)

Andrew Leonard (Krugman's been right)

Ezra Klein (several follow ups)

And the good doctor himself.

Dunnn Nuuuhhhh, Duuunnnn, Nuuuuhhhhh....

Forget about Jaws, giant catfish are snatching people in India and Nepal.

(see also zooilogix)

Video Games Are Real

Updated Below

The internet is no longer the newest frontier in political advertising. In a, frankly pretty cool and imaginative, move aimed at young voters the Obama campaign is buying virtual billboards in at least one video game, complete with website info.

I wonder if ads are out in any other games, and when they had to place them by among other logistics. The bottom line - very cool.


(from TPM)

Update:

Colin at epolitics offers his take and more links.

The City of Brotherly Love

Why, because we like videos, and we like hockey and these hockey fans know how to display their feelings...



This just goes to show how well thought out the McCain - Palin Campaign is...I mean c'mon people they booed santa claus in Philly, that's santa claus people.

A Global Perspective

Wondering what the rest of the world thinks about the US Presidential race? Even if you're not this site is worth a peak. If The World Could Vote is essentially running an online poll, McCain or Obama and letting every IP adress vote once, that's also how they're pulling your global location.

The results break down in some interesting and useful way s with a color spread world map among other neat tricks.

Not that the world has a say in American elections, but an interesting excerise and demonstration of how small the world is getting in the internet age.

Talk to me Goose...

wait for it, wait for it...



Yeah I know I'm late, here's a bonus link to the best VP Debate live blog.

Read This Now - Ugh

Yeah that's the sound that I make when I think about the economy these days, and Paul Krugman's latest missive doesn't make me feel much better.

And the time to act is now. You may think that things can’t get any worse — but they can, and if nothing is done in the next few days, they will.

Diversionary Tactics

The McCain - Palin has gone completely negative as part of there desperate attempt to divert voters' attention from the actual issues and problems facing the country today.

A more fun and informative diversion is available to you on the New Yorker's website.

Take the "Lipstick on a Pig - 2008 Campaign Quiz"

(I got 13 0f 29 correct, but remember I'm no longer inside the Beltway (whew))

Be Afraid?

I've been trying to remain optimistic as the global economy rushes away down the drain, escaping to Saipan has helped as have Dean Baker's kind words.

But scary stuff keeps happening...

The Dow ended the day under 8,600...

Krugman was not optimistic...

So will this latest rate cut make any difference to borrowers? Maybe — but only to a few of them. We’re way past the point at which conventional monetary policy has much traction.

And the National Debt grew so large that the Times Square Debt Clock ran out of room.



Think Progress offers the reminder that the Clock ran backwards during the Clinton Administration.

Hang in there folks.

Read This Now - What you should know about Sarah Palin's ties to violent, treasonous, seccionist, radical, anti-American groups

Please read David Talbot's recent piece for Salon.

Highlights include...

"My government is my worst enemy. I'm going to fight them with any means at hand."

The quote is from Joe Vogler, the raging anti-American who founded the Alaska Independence Party. Inconveniently for Palin, that's the very same secessionist party that her husband, Todd, belonged to for seven years and that she sent a shout-out to as Alaska governor earlier this year. ("Keep up the good work," Palin told AIP members. "And God bless you.")

Vogler preached armed insurrection against the United States of America.

Vogler's greatest moment of glory was to be his 1993 appearance before the United Nations to denounce United States "tyranny" before the entire world and to demand Alaska's freedom. The Alaska secessionist had persuaded the government of Iran to sponsor his anti-American harangue.

Watch the video of Palin addressing the AIP...


ed. note: just realized the link was missing sorry folks. You can now go directly to the article.

It's Here

We may well be the ones that we've been waiting for, but on a much more tangential level this is what I've been waiting for...



There should be a scaled down version playing on TV, and you should visit the site: Keating Economics.

Sound Investing...

I just received this advice from the theater we subscribe to...

M E M O R A N D U M

TO: All Woolly Mammoth Investors

FROM: Howard Shalwitz, CEO & Jeffrey Herrmann, COO

Washington, DC • October 3, 2008

As the U.S. Government plans a financial bailout of historic proportions, we write to assure you that Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company remains solvent and your investments in our institution secure.

We ended our most recent fiscal year with a modest surplus, thanks to strong 4th-quarter sales and a careful eye towards expenditures.

Meanwhile, our recent investments in R&D have served to replenish our inventory and diversify our product line. And several of these new additions – DEAD MAN'S CELL PHONE, THE K of D, and STUNNING – have recently been re-purchased by other firms and sold to audiences across America. We have steered clear of sub-prime liabilities precisely because of this commitment to investing only in quality properties and employing the most creative and skilled workers to develop them here in our state-of-the-art facility.

Further, we have maintained our investments in our local community to ensure that demand for our line of products remains strong. And, in partnership with firms like The SEED School, Metro TeenAIDS, Univ. of Maryland, and The Corcoran School, we continue to develop the workforce of the future.

Next year will mark our 30th year in business, and we are proud of our past accomplishments and our present stability during this turbulent time. Still, we remain fundamentally dependent on our investors to provide us with the funds we need to pursue our mission with confidence and vigor. This year we have set an ambitious goal of raising $350,000 in capital.

We hope you will maintain Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company in your portfolio of investments with the confidence that your dollars will generate rich dividends – payable in provocation, laughter, and surprise – for years to come. Together, we can continue to lead our industry and electrify our customer base with the most innovative line of theatrical products available for consumption in America.

Visit Woolly

Flow Chart Fun - or - Debating for Dummies

First let me say that I am a proud owner of Wine for Dummies, I've used it often and successfully and there is a lot to be said for the ...for Dummies series.

And now the fun part...

(I saw it on War Room, apparently from DK)

Oklahoma?

Cheapest beer in DC

There are probably bars where you can get a cheaper beer than the $2 Natty Boh's at the Red Derby, but I don't think I'd want to drink there. The Derby, at 3718 14th St. NW, only accepts cash and does most of it's business in cans. They've got a nice selection of beers I haven't tried because I'm broke.

It was packed last night for the debates, the crowd getting a little loud and then shushing itself so that we could all hear. I had a great time, it's relaxed and the red walls and beat up couches are just what I'm looking for in a bar. There's even a pool table in the back, but bring your ATM card, because they only take cash (there's an ATM in the bar).

Sarah Palin and Wasilla's Rape Kits

Okay, so about a week ago Maya sent me to Get Your War On to check out the episode about Sarah Palin and her policy on rape kits. GYWO was, as always, completely over the top, so I did some research. The issue (according to Jessica Yelin at CNN) appears to be that the chief of police Palin appointed in Wasilla was one of the most vocal opponents of legislation banning the charging of victims for thier own rape kits. His objections were based in fiscal concerns. There was a lot of pressure to eliminate budget items while Palin was Mayor, but that she didn't specifically target the cost of rape kits. It's still pretty messed up, but I see it more as an issue of callousness than delibrate targeting of rape victims.

I can't really do a better job of making this funny than the comic that brought this issue to my attention:

Get the latest news satire and funny videos at 236.com.

Orders of Magnitude

We've been hearing a lot about really big numbers lately; both in terms of the economy but also during the election generally. Mostly these numbers involve money, because lets face it we don't end up with trillions of much else besides money, and not the kind you can carry in a brief case either. Part of the problem here is that these numbers are largely theoretical, or at least that they deal with things that aren't tangible, you can't hold a billion dollars in your hand.

Thomas Schaller addressed this issue the other day and I think he did such a good job that I want to share. Most people, myself included, just know that millions, billions and, trillions are really big numbers. Some of us can tell you that one billion is one thousand million but what does that really mean? Take it away Tom...

Millions, billions and trillions all sound the same. But a million seconds takes about 11 days to expire; because a billion is a thousand million, a billion seconds takes about 30 years to expire; because a trillion is a thousand billion, a trillion seconds takes about 30,000 years to expire. These are not interchangeable orders of magnitude, folks.

Our federal debt is headed toward $10 trillion, which means if we stopped adding to it immediately, and all credit holders (yeah you, China) stopped charging us interest, and we started paying down the debt at $1 per second, it would take about 300,000 years to retire.

Read it again and, wow.

Over The Line...

So I'm here in sunny Saipan escaping the last month of the campaign craziness and trying to save the world.

Since it's already a different day here than back in the mainland USA we'll be catching all the fun that is the ka-blooie in St. Louis at 11 am. That's a much more civilized time to watch grown men and women squabble like middle schoolers if you ask me.

Okay I didn't get this up before the debate. I always think that I want to watch these things, or at least that I should watch them. But when I do I just end up upset with the whole thing. It's really a shame that we don't manage to have substantive debates. Having the candidates discuss detailed plans for education, health care, foreign policy, or especially the economy would actually be informative. Instead we get a bunch of catch phrases and buzz words and non r evasive answers. It's terrible, the process these days makes a mockery of the democratic process and belittles the American people. It's a shame.