31 October 2008

The Last Word on Palin

Jan in San Francisco shows us her sentiments exactly. Nice Photoshop job, too ;)

[tip 'o the hat to the Mad Priest]

30 October 2008

The 4-Variable IQ Test

Your result for The 4-Variable IQ Test...

Mathematical

15% interpersonal, 20% visual, 25% verbal and 40% mathematical!


Brother-from-another-mother! Like mine, your highest scoring intelligence is Mathematical. You thrive on logic, numbers, things representing numbers, and sets of things that are sets of other things, with numbers nowhere in sight. You probably like the online comic called XKCD, and if you don't, check it out.


You probably knew you'd score "Mathematical" as you took the test, and mathy types are usually super-high scorers on this axis, and low on the others. Why? Because you (we) yearn for math.


Anyway, your specific scores follow. On any axis, a score above 25% means you use that kind of thinking more than average, and a score below 25% means you use it less. It says nothing about cognitive skills, just your interest.


Your brain is roughly:


15% Interpersonal


20%Visual


25%Verbal


40%Mathematical



Matching Summary: Each of us has different tastes. Still, I offer the following advice to the world.


1. Don't date someone if your interpersonal percentages differ by more than 20%.


2. Don't be friends with someone if your verbal percentages differ by more than 25%.


3. Don't have sex with someone if your math scores differ by over 40%. You might kill them.

Take The 4-Variable IQ Test at HelloQuizzy

28 October 2008

Supporter Shouts the 'N' Word, Palin Ignores It

I knew this was gonna get caught on video at some point, given the character of the Republican Party's base...

Palin hears rally attendee call Obama "n-word" during speech, keeps on truckin'

Anyone surprised that she didn't stop and say anything ? Well ? Anyone ?

:: crickets ::

Early Voting

In the spirit of Grandmère Mimi's earlier post, I wanted to announce that I've voted, too. Early voting in Texas extends to the end of this week (up until four days before the general election), and the polls open at 7 AM. You don't even have to go to the normal polling place for your precinct. I voted at Christ United Methodist Church at Coit & Parker in Plano, and they made it very easy. Plenty of space, lots of voting machines, and no lines at all - recommended!

And casting my vote for Senators Obama and Biden made me feel better about a Presidential election than I have in a long time. Also voted the Democratic ticket for U.S. Senator with Rick Noriega, and for U.S. Representative with Tom Daley. Both are up against Republican incumbents who, inexplicably, enjoy great popularity in this part of the state. I hope Republican Senator Cornyn is vulnerable this election, but who knows. Sadly, I suspect Daley will have a harder time against Sam Johnson for Texas' Third District.

24 October 2008

QotD for 24 Oct., 2008

When I became a Christian, I was naive enough to believe that if I worked hard enough on spiritual practices and worshiped God with all my heart, all my mind, all my soul and all my strength, I would miraculously get a personality transplant and become a sweeter, nicer, and better person than ever before. That didn’t happen...I’m still ornery, angry, impatient and judgmental. God hasn’t taken that from me. It seems that God takes me as I am, and invites me to accept that I am loved as I am. This is called my particular struggle; to accept grace. Well, I don’t like grace, because I can’t control grace; it is freely given. So I wrestle with God over this. “Give me a personality transplant! I say, as I wrestle. “Change me!” And God flips me over and pins me there and says, “Change yourself if you want. But whether you will or not, I will love you and I will call you my child.” ---the Rev. Victoria Weinstein (a.k.a. "Peacebang") in a sermon to Church Hill United Methodist Church, Aug. 3, 2008

23 October 2008

The NYT Isn't a "Journalistic Organization"

According to John McCain's chief strategist Steve Schmidt, this little, city newspaper you might have heard of (The New York Times) is "not by any standard a journalistic organization."

Oh really ? I suppose that, by his standards, the New York Post and Fox News qualify ? :/

See Ben Smith's blog entry Schmidt attacks the Times for details.

20 October 2008

Quote of the Season on the Last Presidential Debate

Every time McCain spoke and Obama spoke afterward, it was like watching a polite grandson trying to find a way to disagree with his senile, formerly heroic, about-to-lose-it grandfather. ---BC Woods in the comment thread from the Final (Thank God) Debate Comment Thread over on Scalzi's blog

13 October 2008

Really. Just Stop.

Obama Pictures and McCain Pictures
LOLNews & Politics on Pundit Kitchen

QotD for 13 Oct., 2008

The fact that you oppose abortion doesn’t necessarily mean that you are pro-life. You can be anti-abortion and still be killing people by the millions through war, through poverty, and so on. ---Archbishop John Onaiyekan of Abuja, Nigeria, in the National Catholic Reporter

[tip o' the biretta to the Mad Priest]

10 October 2008

Ignorance is Bliss ?

The things that has always alarmed me most about the right wing Republican/conservative/FOX News-watching types is how they wear their own IGNORANCE as a badge of honor! I can't get my head around the notion of how unashamed they are of their own ignorance. It used to be that abject stupidity was something to be embarrassed about. Is it somehow now HIP these days to be a total dumbass? Did I miss the memo?

It's even worse when Republican politicians stoop to cultivate the least intelligent amongst us. Why is it that the Republican party seems to consist solely of the top 5% of America's wealth holders and the lower third of the IQ spectrum with NO ONE in between?
---Richard Metzger, on BoingBoing in If It Walks Like A Duck...


A bit over the top ? Sure. I know Republicans who aren't wealthy and have IQs above room temperature. But the oh-so courted and endlessly discussed "base" ? That pretty much nails it.

Click thru the link above. Or heck, just watch CNN like I did this morning. And if you're not a bit scared by what that implies, then you're not paying attention. I mean...we're about to try & choose the next president based upon the levels of ignorance, animosity, and flat-out hatred you see ?

09 October 2008

What Breed Of Liberal Are You?

How to Win a Fight With a Conservative is the ultimate survival guide for political arguments

My Liberal Identity:

You are a Reality-Based Intellectualist, also known as the liberal elite. You are a proud member of what’s known as the reality-based community, where science, reason, and non-Jesus-based thought reign supreme.



[Tip of the hat to our beloved Grandmère Mimi]

06 October 2008

QotD for 6 Oct., 2008

So, although I strongly believe in the maximum possible freedom, I also believe in community and in responsibility to that community. Not only is no man an island, but no man is self-made. Some people are just good at forgetting all the people who helped them get where they are. ---Charley Reese, former conservative columnist for the Orlando Sentinel, on why he's not a Libertarian.

03 October 2008

The VP Debate in One Sentence

Palin’s answers do not lack confidence, they lack coherence. ---Bill Schneider, CNN Senior Political Analyst

02 October 2008

11 Myths About Sarah Palin

Rolling Stone magazine presents 11 myths about Sarah Palin, along with the facts behind each, in The Truth About Sarah Palin. Here are some excerpts:
1. THE MYTH: "She took the luxury jet that was acquired by her predecessor and sold it on eBay. And made a profit!" — John McCain, at a campaign stop in Wisconsin

THE FACTS: No one bought the jet online. It was eventually sold through an aircraft broker — at a loss to taxpayers of nearly $600,000.

2. THE MYTH: "I told the Congress 'Thanks, but no thanks' on that Bridge to Nowhere." — Sarah Palin, convention speech

THE FACTS: Supported the infamous pork project in her 2006 run for governor, even after Congress had killed the bridge; derided its opponents as "spinmeisters." Reversed her stance a year later — but kept the money, doling out the $223 million in federal funds to other pork projects throughout the state.


Lies, and the lying liars who tell them...