[This is an essay/report that I wrote about four years ago, although it's undergone a lot of revision. Read it, you momo, since no-one else will!]
Just how much is your vote worth, in this and any other election for president?
Does it count? Does it matter? Is your vote worth the same as that of everyone else?
Especially considering the consequences, the presidential race of 2000 will be remembered in history for its dubious nature: everything from misleading ballots to biased officials to unequal access to the voting booth to party operatives scaring away voters from the polling stations. Voting machines manufactured by a blatantly partisan company, bogus absentee ballots, disproportionate numbers of voting booths for districts of pointedly different leanings, and more, and more, and more.
On top of this, the candidate that received the most votes simply lost. And the course of this country, and others, changed drastically. While a president and his administration cannot be held responsible for everything that happens during his term of office, few would contest that a different administration would have had very different effects in the world. But the focus of this brief report is not on these differences - which are potentially massive, and open to great speculation and argument - this is about the electoral college process, by which we select our president.
"One Man, One Vote!"
The Questionable Value of a Vote in United States Presidential Elections under the Electoral College System"
[If someone could please test out this linked PDF, I'd appreciate it... it was intensely annoying to format properly, and I don't trust google-docs (in which it's stored) to cough it up properly for potential readers.]
Thursday, October 23, 2008
Wednesday, October 22, 2008
It hurts my brains.
Gotta love these morons: people like Pat Buchanan, Rush Limbaugh, and millions of others, I imagine, believing that Colin Powell endorsed Obama because he's black.
Everyone knows that Obama's an Arab, motherfuckers.
Everyone knows that Obama's an Arab, motherfuckers.
Monday, October 20, 2008
Unhappy endings.
Finished Neverwinter Nights 2 (original campaign) late late last night. After a fairly decent climactic battle, they deliver an epilogue via still pictures and narration. A really unsatisfying ending, but mostly because of the choice of narrator... one of those situations in which it sounds like they got some guy from the office to read off something. The massive amount of voice acting throughout the game is fantastic, then they end it with this sudden ending and epilogue that just sounds ridiculous.
Gah. Well, on to the first expansion, Mask of the Betrayer. It's supposed to be betterer than the decent OC, but it starts you out at epic levels (18, or if you import your existing character, as high up as he is). I always prefer lower level play, personally. I wonder if the second expansion is also epicky.
Gah. Well, on to the first expansion, Mask of the Betrayer. It's supposed to be betterer than the decent OC, but it starts you out at epic levels (18, or if you import your existing character, as high up as he is). I always prefer lower level play, personally. I wonder if the second expansion is also epicky.
Sunday, October 19, 2008
The People's Choice
 |
| From Phobrek's Blog |
In torrenting some comics, I found that someone uploaded this classic old issue of Captain America from 1980, in which our hero faces the possibility of running for president. Thanks, anonymous donor!
Captain America has always been my favorite superhero... imagine me, an ultra-liberal socialist pinko bastard that is critical of most things American, idol-worshipping the man with the flag on his chest (and mighty shield). But most "real" patriots would consider Cap to be a pinko bastard himself, if they read the comic over the decades. Questioning authority... frequently at odds with the government... and OMFG he's got a Jewess for a girlfriend! Well, he did, until she died, and of course he'd dead now, too. But the comic remains brilliant nonetheless.
Anyway, click the pic above to go to a gallery including a scattered bunch of pages from that issue. Classic stuff! And enjoy this blast from the past:
Thursday, October 16, 2008
git out of my hed!
Strange days. I'm half-way through my pharmaceutical detox, a 2-week period in which I'm neither on my previous meds or my new one. Various difficult episodes and effects, the most notable would be about 36 hours of having the inside of my right heel itch furiously. Anyway. The only thing I really want to share with the world now should be:
Background: Technohead was a hubby/wife duo of Lee Newman and Michael Wells in the 90s, who also recorded under many, many other names. Their biggest hit was I Wanna be a Hippy, which topped the charts in like 20 countries, of course none of which was the US. If you haven't heard the tune before, well, blame the Republicans... I always do. But I was bored and so cruised through youtube for the video. I wish I had a decent copy of the thing.
The second vid is of the Ska remix of the tune. I probably have about 15 different mixes of the original track (hey, I even have the fucking t-shirt of it), but this is one of the best, and I'm psyched someone made a video of it, a very very awesomely awesome video.
I'd never seen this last vid before today: it's for their track Headsex, and I was so happily shocked to see that Newman and Wells are actually in it. At least, I'm almost positive that Newman is the woman in the video (it's definitely Wells walking around in a uniform). But the only other pics I've seen of her are:
and 
.
I hope this is her in the video; she died soon after this album came out, and I love the idea that this hot/wild she was she. If not, it's still probably an appropriate representation of her willz & skillz.
Oh but the best I Wanna Be a Hippy video of all has to be...
Background: Technohead was a hubby/wife duo of Lee Newman and Michael Wells in the 90s, who also recorded under many, many other names. Their biggest hit was I Wanna be a Hippy, which topped the charts in like 20 countries, of course none of which was the US. If you haven't heard the tune before, well, blame the Republicans... I always do. But I was bored and so cruised through youtube for the video. I wish I had a decent copy of the thing.
The second vid is of the Ska remix of the tune. I probably have about 15 different mixes of the original track (hey, I even have the fucking t-shirt of it), but this is one of the best, and I'm psyched someone made a video of it, a very very awesomely awesome video.
I'd never seen this last vid before today: it's for their track Headsex, and I was so happily shocked to see that Newman and Wells are actually in it. At least, I'm almost positive that Newman is the woman in the video (it's definitely Wells walking around in a uniform). But the only other pics I've seen of her are:
and 
.I hope this is her in the video; she died soon after this album came out, and I love the idea that this hot/wild she was she. If not, it's still probably an appropriate representation of her willz & skillz.
Oh but the best I Wanna Be a Hippy video of all has to be...
Saturday, October 11, 2008
Umber Hulks Lub Korn.
Here's my latest goofy pic illustrating that I have too much time on my hands.
It's a (modified) screen grab from Neverwinter Nights 2, the main D&D computer RPG (besides the MMO D&D game, that is). I'm more than half-way through the game, and was psyched to discover that my guy got to take over a keep, and be involved with re-building broken structures, raising and improving a militia, dealing with various problems, etc. The pic here is just some farmland outside the place, though. Click the pic for full size, of course.
It's a (modified) screen grab from Neverwinter Nights 2, the main D&D computer RPG (besides the MMO D&D game, that is). I'm more than half-way through the game, and was psyched to discover that my guy got to take over a keep, and be involved with re-building broken structures, raising and improving a militia, dealing with various problems, etc. The pic here is just some farmland outside the place, though. Click the pic for full size, of course.
 |
| From gallery |
Friday, October 10, 2008
All hot and bothered.
On CNN's site there's a link to "Christians Create Moral Movie," which by those words alone is too enticing to pass up. So: Fireproof
The article begins:
Okeydokey. Next I had to hit Rotten Tomatoes to check the reviews. I wasn't going to discount it; it could be a great flick. Regardless, I got what I expected: a bunch of reviews noting that the selling point is the heavy-handed preaching to the converted, serving up an otherwise unimpressive story/production. Then I noticed that RT allows people to leave comments in response to the different reviews, and this got me all hot and bothered. Go look up a book by Michael Moore (easy example) on amazon.com, and you'll find a zillion comments from people who rant with such insane, frightening levels of hate and idiocy that you become rudely jolted back to the reality that we are a doomed people. Isn't that fun? Oh, c'mon!
I flipped through one with a good number of comments, and the predictable laughs ensued. Then I looked at the review excerpts again, to find the one that I thought would best elicit high quality duh.
"Fireproof isn't merely preaching to the already converted; it's helping to further alienate the unconverted and the skeptical." - Ken Hanke
Found it! I thought this brief line so perfectly nutshelled the biggest problem of any heavy-handed approach to pushing a possibly-controversial idea: it makes the unconverted potentially defensive and reactionary, and you end up sabotaging your own cause (or in the case of this movie, a theme, an issue, etc... I'm not pretending that the film-makers were on some mission here). Again, the easy example is Michael Moore. His overly broad strokes, sarcasm and self-righteous sneer can betray his content, which, were it to stand more by itself (which he did best in Fahrenheit 911), would have a far greater effect in changing people's minds, educating them, etc. But he's so polarizing w/his "us vs. them" swagger. Don't get me wrong, I love Moore, but I keep wishing he'd remove himself more and maintain a distance in his films/shows, letting the content speak for itself.
Digression transgressed. Apologies. So, to get to the punchline, here's the money shot comment aimed at the above reviewer:
HAW HAW HAW!
The article begins:
When brothers Alex and Stephen Kendrick were looking for inspiration for their third feature-length film, they turned to God for help.
"To be honest, I prayed about it," Alex Kendrick said. "I said, 'God, would you give me an idea that will impact all of our culture.' "
While he was out jogging and praying one day, the idea for "Fireproof" came to him. He footed it over to his brother's house about a mile away and told him the story: A firefighter who lives by the mantra "never leave your partner behind" at work is about to do just that in his personal life.
Okeydokey. Next I had to hit Rotten Tomatoes to check the reviews. I wasn't going to discount it; it could be a great flick. Regardless, I got what I expected: a bunch of reviews noting that the selling point is the heavy-handed preaching to the converted, serving up an otherwise unimpressive story/production. Then I noticed that RT allows people to leave comments in response to the different reviews, and this got me all hot and bothered. Go look up a book by Michael Moore (easy example) on amazon.com, and you'll find a zillion comments from people who rant with such insane, frightening levels of hate and idiocy that you become rudely jolted back to the reality that we are a doomed people. Isn't that fun? Oh, c'mon!
I flipped through one with a good number of comments, and the predictable laughs ensued. Then I looked at the review excerpts again, to find the one that I thought would best elicit high quality duh.
"Fireproof isn't merely preaching to the already converted; it's helping to further alienate the unconverted and the skeptical." - Ken Hanke
Found it! I thought this brief line so perfectly nutshelled the biggest problem of any heavy-handed approach to pushing a possibly-controversial idea: it makes the unconverted potentially defensive and reactionary, and you end up sabotaging your own cause (or in the case of this movie, a theme, an issue, etc... I'm not pretending that the film-makers were on some mission here). Again, the easy example is Michael Moore. His overly broad strokes, sarcasm and self-righteous sneer can betray his content, which, were it to stand more by itself (which he did best in Fahrenheit 911), would have a far greater effect in changing people's minds, educating them, etc. But he's so polarizing w/his "us vs. them" swagger. Don't get me wrong, I love Moore, but I keep wishing he'd remove himself more and maintain a distance in his films/shows, letting the content speak for itself.
Digression transgressed. Apologies. So, to get to the punchline, here's the money shot comment aimed at the above reviewer:
"For a non-Christian to critique a Christian film to me is mean-spirited, dishonest and stupid."
HAW HAW HAW!
Switching my vote to Sarah, no doubt
I just read in the Worcester T&G that Sarah Palin (nee Sarah Heath) spent Thanksgiving weekend of 1986 here in Worcester... a few houses over from mine, on Elm Street. What's more, it was a Levi Lincoln house (Governor/Senator of Massachusetts in the early 1800s, native of Worcester, that built a bunch of houses and buildings in the city), as is mine. Anyway, Sarah ate at her boyfriend's family's house, I think (something like that... not interested enough to go back and read the article). Meanwhile, I was turning 17 that weekend (Nov. 24, specifically) and was much more interested in seeing Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home, which opened on the day after.
Thursday, October 9, 2008
The Legend of Jessie Cristos
The greatest unknown band on the planet. The Legend of Jessie Cristos was a country/goth rock band that played the soundtrack for the film of the same name, which was never intended to be made. Instead, the songs told the story of the Old West messianic vampire cowboy Jessie Cristos, his martyrdom in the hands of the Elders, his tragic romance of the lady Elizabeth, the pursuit of her father, The Judge, and last but not least, Jessie's Dirty Dozen. When the Dirty Dozen Make Merry, run. Anyway, the band occurred briefly in the late 90s, in Boston, and my participation was in graphics, flyers, playing with a fog machine and lights, and even a couple of times performing on-stage, to read from the Book of Jessie. I'd say "Rest in Peace" to Jessie Cristos, but I doubt he ever will. Ha!
Anyway, I've had these old drawings of mine scanned in for ages, and a brief conversation w/the aforementioned Shannon inspired me to upload them.
Go listen to some LoJC tunes at: Original Snub (note: the versions there are fairly low bit-rate... easier to DL, but don't quite do justice to the recordings)
Anyway, I've had these old drawings of mine scanned in for ages, and a brief conversation w/the aforementioned Shannon inspired me to upload them.
 |
| From The Legend of Jessie Cristos |
Go listen to some LoJC tunes at: Original Snub (note: the versions there are fairly low bit-rate... easier to DL, but don't quite do justice to the recordings)
Aspartame in your brain
Please read about aspartame, also known as Nutrasweet, Equal, and other artificial sweeteners. If you can find the documentary Sweet Misery (you may need to pirate it via torrent), it can be compelling.
Aspartame is used in almost every diet soda, and in every sugarless gum I've ever found. Google "aspartame" or "aspartame poisoning" and you'll find plenty of information that may well make you want to kill the people who make and use it, as well as the FDA that approved its use starting in the mid-80's. Splenda (sometimes marketed as Sucralose) also has its damaging effects, but sounds more like health food when compared to aspartame. Please: you are much better off imbibing sugary soda/coffee/tea/etc. than that sweetened/poisoned by aspartame. You can, however, find some diet sodas using Splenda: oddly, I've found that you can actually get Splenda-sweetened Diet Coke in that unending soda aisle in your local supermarket, whereas I've only ever seen the aspartame version in convenience stores. In seeking out other diet sodas, the Weight Watchers brand is aspartame-free. As ever, the golden rule is: read your labels.
Aspartame is used in almost every diet soda, and in every sugarless gum I've ever found. Google "aspartame" or "aspartame poisoning" and you'll find plenty of information that may well make you want to kill the people who make and use it, as well as the FDA that approved its use starting in the mid-80's. Splenda (sometimes marketed as Sucralose) also has its damaging effects, but sounds more like health food when compared to aspartame. Please: you are much better off imbibing sugary soda/coffee/tea/etc. than that sweetened/poisoned by aspartame. You can, however, find some diet sodas using Splenda: oddly, I've found that you can actually get Splenda-sweetened Diet Coke in that unending soda aisle in your local supermarket, whereas I've only ever seen the aspartame version in convenience stores. In seeking out other diet sodas, the Weight Watchers brand is aspartame-free. As ever, the golden rule is: read your labels.
NO BEETS?
These days, not so good. Other days, better.
Aside: This reminds me of the wisdom once spoken by (the ravishing) Claudia Christian on Babylon 5: "No boom today. Boom tomorrow. There’s always a boom tomorrow. Boom!, sooner or later. BOOM!"
I'm officially off my meds, for the most part, a required difficulty as I switch onto a new med. I've gradually phased out my previous anti-depressant (Cymbalta), and once gone, I've dropped a couple of others cold turkey, as of this morning. The sudden loss of doxepin (AKA Silenor, AKA Aponal) was felt last night: Wiki defines the drug as a psychotropic agent with tricyclic antidepressant and anxiolytic properties, but is also helpful in dealing with insomnia. I slept one or two of my ideally 40 winks, although this did help me remember fragments of dream from those scattered moments. So hey, at least there was some entertainment. I'm also off the currently-trendy Adderall, my legal speed, which I came off of a few days early actually, since I ran out of pills and then lacked the oomph required to visit the pharmacy. My only remaining drugs are lamictal (treating bipolar effects in a less blunt way than lithium) and my testosterone gel (Androgel), which to be honest, often feels useless.
After coming down from Cymbalta for the last two weeks, I now get to spend two weeks dry of those three drugs, so as to remove the remnants of them, as they clash with my new drug of choice, tranylcypromine (brand name version is Parnate). This is an MAIO (monoamine oxidase inhibitor), which carries with it serious restrictions on diet. It's hard to imagine your regular omnivore taking this on, but as a vegan I've got a real head-start.
Anything that is aged or fermented is out. This, and other things, contain Tyramine, which is a no-no amino acid-based compound. Here's a partial list of the forbidden, some of which are extremely serious, and others are to be avoided, or in some cases, allowable in very small amounts:
Anchovies, Avocado, Banana peels, Bean Curd, Beetroot, Booze, Bouillon, Brazil Nuts, Bread w/high yeast, Broad Beans (Fava, Italian Green Beans, Lima, Lentil), Caffeine, Cheese, Chinese pea pods, Chips w/vinegar, Chocolate, Coconut, Coffee, Coke, Corn (sweet), Cucumbers, Eggplant, Figs (canned), Ginseng, Grapes, Meat, Miso, MSG, Mushrooms, Oranges, Peanuts, Pineapple (fresh), Plums, Protein Extracts, Prunes, Raisins, Raspberries, Red plums, Salad Dressing, Sauerkraut, Shrimp Paste, Soy Sauce, Spinach, Teriyaki sauce, Tofu, Tomato juice, Vegemite, Yeast, Yogurt
Aw man - fuck me in the eye! NO BEETS? Kids, for that reason alone, remember: don't do (legal) drugs.
Aside: This reminds me of the wisdom once spoken by (the ravishing) Claudia Christian on Babylon 5: "No boom today. Boom tomorrow. There’s always a boom tomorrow. Boom!, sooner or later. BOOM!"
I'm officially off my meds, for the most part, a required difficulty as I switch onto a new med. I've gradually phased out my previous anti-depressant (Cymbalta), and once gone, I've dropped a couple of others cold turkey, as of this morning. The sudden loss of doxepin (AKA Silenor, AKA Aponal) was felt last night: Wiki defines the drug as a psychotropic agent with tricyclic antidepressant and anxiolytic properties, but is also helpful in dealing with insomnia. I slept one or two of my ideally 40 winks, although this did help me remember fragments of dream from those scattered moments. So hey, at least there was some entertainment. I'm also off the currently-trendy Adderall, my legal speed, which I came off of a few days early actually, since I ran out of pills and then lacked the oomph required to visit the pharmacy. My only remaining drugs are lamictal (treating bipolar effects in a less blunt way than lithium) and my testosterone gel (Androgel), which to be honest, often feels useless.
After coming down from Cymbalta for the last two weeks, I now get to spend two weeks dry of those three drugs, so as to remove the remnants of them, as they clash with my new drug of choice, tranylcypromine (brand name version is Parnate). This is an MAIO (monoamine oxidase inhibitor), which carries with it serious restrictions on diet. It's hard to imagine your regular omnivore taking this on, but as a vegan I've got a real head-start.
Anything that is aged or fermented is out. This, and other things, contain Tyramine, which is a no-no amino acid-based compound. Here's a partial list of the forbidden, some of which are extremely serious, and others are to be avoided, or in some cases, allowable in very small amounts:
Anchovies, Avocado, Banana peels, Bean Curd, Beetroot, Booze, Bouillon, Brazil Nuts, Bread w/high yeast, Broad Beans (Fava, Italian Green Beans, Lima, Lentil), Caffeine, Cheese, Chinese pea pods, Chips w/vinegar, Chocolate, Coconut, Coffee, Coke, Corn (sweet), Cucumbers, Eggplant, Figs (canned), Ginseng, Grapes, Meat, Miso, MSG, Mushrooms, Oranges, Peanuts, Pineapple (fresh), Plums, Protein Extracts, Prunes, Raisins, Raspberries, Red plums, Salad Dressing, Sauerkraut, Shrimp Paste, Soy Sauce, Spinach, Teriyaki sauce, Tofu, Tomato juice, Vegemite, Yeast, Yogurt
Aw man - fuck me in the eye! NO BEETS? Kids, for that reason alone, remember: don't do (legal) drugs.
Road Map to God
While I've the focus to write this (and the enthusiasm helps): please read my (I say possessively) Shannon's fantastic bit of thought here:
http://blog.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=blog.view&friendID=33789163&blogID=439596233
Ages ago, in "the best years of my life" (an unhappy thing to say, when such years are no longer anywhere near the present, but, hey, and, meh!), I was lucky to have Shannon as a girlfriend... it was in San Francisco, 1993. I lost touch with her for too long, but in one of my more functional moments, recently, I sought her out in this virtual world, and am very happy for having done so. So, read what she has written that I done linked. All of my readers (0-3?) might become hers!
http://blog.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=blog.view&friendID=33789163&blogID=439596233
Ages ago, in "the best years of my life" (an unhappy thing to say, when such years are no longer anywhere near the present, but, hey, and, meh!), I was lucky to have Shannon as a girlfriend... it was in San Francisco, 1993. I lost touch with her for too long, but in one of my more functional moments, recently, I sought her out in this virtual world, and am very happy for having done so. So, read what she has written that I done linked. All of my readers (0-3?) might become hers!
Tuesday, October 7, 2008
A-ha!
Ok, as a big fan of A-ha, I can't resist linking this revisionist video:
"IS THIS YOUR HOUSE?!"
"IS THIS YOUR HOUSE?!"
Thursday, October 2, 2008
Tuesday, September 30, 2008
Monday, September 29, 2008
Once, when we were in debate camp...
September 29, 2008
Palin heads to ‘debate camp’ in Arizona
CNN) — As some prominent conservatives begin to raise the question of whether Sarah Palin should remain on the Republican presidential ticket – and others call for her to be given more public exposure in a bid to reverse falling poll numbers – the McCain campaign is bringing the Alaska governor to John McCain’s Sedona ranch for several days of intense debate prep.
Senior campaign advisor Steve Schmidt and other top officials met Palin in Philadelphia Sunday night, and are traveling with her and McCain to a Columbus, Ohio event Monday morning. The group then heads to Arizona.
The original plan was for Palin to prepare in St. Louis, where the vice presidential debate will be held Thursday. Instead, she has already been preparing in a Philadelphia hotel for four days with advisors. She will now get ready for the debate at McCain’s rustic creek-side home — what a top aide calls "debate camp."
The aide, who's part of the team prepping Palin, tells CNN they decided to take her to debate camp there because it is an "invigorating and enjoyable place to prepare for Thursday."
Apparently someone in the McCain campaign saw that clip of Sarah trying to talk (emphasis on trying) on the TV. Somehow she'd gotten away from her handlers in her hotel room and was standing in one of those parking lot-like restaurants where you get your meal from a lady in a window. Or rather, they call out your name when your order's ready (the dead-eyed woman sleeping through her miserable job blandly asked Sarah for hers, and it didn't register any recognition within her, despite being surrounded by lights and cameras).
Someone made the moment more surreal by asking her a vague question about Pakistan, and her answer was also vague, nonsense words being tossed around with all the others being spoken in the busy little area... place? Parking lot.
Finally someone in McCain's camp said "Fucking Christ will someone reign her in already?!"
Sunday, September 28, 2008
boobies.
Police say teen plotted to kill mom for breast implants
FOUNTAIN, Colorado (AP) -- A Colorado teenager hired men to kill his mother so he could use her money to get breast implants for his girlfriend, police said.
Nikita Lee Weis, 18, was arrested on suspicion of conspiracy to commit first-degree murder, said Fountain Deputy Police Chief Mike Barnett.
Weis' mother, Hyun Weis, was attacked Thursday with a small wooden baseball bat at her home but escaped, authorities said. She was released Friday from a hospital.
---
1 - The headline as it was, I was really hoping that this story was about a son loving his mom's implants so much that he wanted to gouge them out of her and put them in his own chest.
2 - Seeing that the weapon of choice is as it was, are we sure that the "men" hired for this job weren't actually a couple of 4th graders in little league?
Anyway. This has been a very random post.
FOUNTAIN, Colorado (AP) -- A Colorado teenager hired men to kill his mother so he could use her money to get breast implants for his girlfriend, police said.
Nikita Lee Weis, 18, was arrested on suspicion of conspiracy to commit first-degree murder, said Fountain Deputy Police Chief Mike Barnett.
Weis' mother, Hyun Weis, was attacked Thursday with a small wooden baseball bat at her home but escaped, authorities said. She was released Friday from a hospital.
---
1 - The headline as it was, I was really hoping that this story was about a son loving his mom's implants so much that he wanted to gouge them out of her and put them in his own chest.
2 - Seeing that the weapon of choice is as it was, are we sure that the "men" hired for this job weren't actually a couple of 4th graders in little league?
Anyway. This has been a very random post.
Tuesday, September 16, 2008
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