I think the first person to live to 1,000 might be 60 already.
Crackpot or is there truth to his statement (beyond the “I think” part)? The thought of being 99.999% certain of dying by unnatural causes is a little frightening. To be fair and balanced, here’s another viewpoint.
Someone has postulated what the future of news might look like in one possible extrapolation of recent changes. Kind if interesting if you sit through the whole thing.
In the mean time, sometime before 2014, I would like to see the following recent movies: Sideways, Ray, and Kinsey.
I honestly didn’t think that it could have happened this time without major fraud. If it truly is legitimate, I will just have to quote BoingBoing answering a response from a British individual:
Well, presuming that the elections were fairly conducted and accurately counted — which remains a matter of some debate — I’m going with yes, more than half of American voters are just fucking stupid.
The United States of America: A nation of intolerance, fundamentalist Christianity, and a fake “moral superiority” which people believe validates philosophies like intolerance, bigotry, racism, sexism, lack of concern for the needy, the “death penalty,” and lying to a nation about war and the state of the world. Is that really “moral?” If that is “superior,” I wonder wht could be considered “inferior.”
Feel free to disagree. As it is we are all so steadfast in our positions within our Divided Nation, we won’t listen to each other and will never change our minds.
This is where I say: I am getting involved. I don’t know how yet, I don’t know the plan, but I am energized.
UPDATE: As I get time today, I’ll add some links to interesting comments (not just from people who agree with me) on election night and the next four years if I find them:
BoingBoing (that’s the post I quoted, but I note they’ve changed their wording to be a little less hostile)
Greg Knauss is almost right, except for his call for dispassion. Passion is the only thing that can drive change.
CNN on the economic issues for the next four years
Canada 2.0 (hehe)
Lance Arthur – Do Not Move to Canada
Why they voted for Bush (interesting)
More Jeff Jarvis (about “moral values”)
As you know, I’ve held off on discussing politics on here for some time now, but it’s time to come back to the most important issue. I know that most of my readers are good citizens so I’m preaching mostly to the choir, but please make sure you do one thing tomorrow: vote.
Even if you don’t believe we have the most stellar options, and even if you’re not happy with some of each of the candidates’ pasts, we have two individuals neck-and-neck and voter turnout is what is going to shape the course of the country and the world for the next four years.
Still undecided? Think the two candidates are two sides of the same coin? Well, they agree on one thing, and that’s that the war in Iraq has to be finished in some manner. Fine. But on almost every other issue they are polar opposites. Consider that the next president will likely appoint between one and four Supreme Court justices. Think about your values and which individual most closely represents your values. I’ll spell it out for you.
If you want tax breaks for the big corporation you work for, then Bush is your man. If you want the top 1% of income earners (who mostly earn their income from their investments and not from any actual work) to have a more fair share when it comes to paying for the services the government should supply to all citizens, then Kerry is your guy. If you believe that even when the life of a woman is in danger, or after she is raped, she should not have any option of terminating the pregnancy, then Bush is your guy. If you believe that a woman has the right to choose to protect her body and can make decisions for herself with guidance from doctors, then Kerry is your man. If you believe church and state should be separate, that empirical reality is truth (or the path to the truth) and faith-based “reality” leads us back to pre-Enlightenment times, then Kerry is the guy you vote for.
The only explanation for anyone who is undecided is either they don’t know what their own values are or they just don’t have the mental capacity to contemplate the differences between the two main candidates.
Will the world be better off four years from now if one guy is president instead of the other? That’s impossible to say. But you have to start by taking the path that is best. The only way to do this is to vote.
I was going to blog yesterday about an article in the New York Times where a senior Bush advisor was quoted saying that the scientific, empirical reality is a thing of the past and Bush believes in “faith-based reality.” The staffer believes the world is changing and heading in this direction.
I eventually removed the post a few minutes after I had published it because I had promised not to talk about politics. So, I’m going to reframe this new “faith-based” reality in my scientific reality by writing about a study from the University of Maryland.
The study states plainly that supporters on one side of the political spectrum live in a different reality, or universe, than supporters on the other side.
For example, Bush supporters believe that the majority of the world supports Bush, while Kerry supporters believe that the majority of the world suppotrs Kerry.
What is really interesting in the results, however, is the survey that shows most Bush supporters do not correctly perceive Bush’s stance on issues, while Kerry supporters correctly perceive Kerry’s stance. See the chart on page 12 of the study. Here’s the last paragraph of the conclusion/analysis:
Bush may be right [about remaining steadfast in the face of the facts and forging a new reality]. Admitting his mistakes may shatter his idealized image in a way that some supporters may not forgive. But there also risks in succeeding in getting elected based on false beliefs. The number of people in the public who see through the illusion will likely continue to grow, eating away at the implied mandate of an election. Further, the cohesion of society can be damaged by a persisting and fundamental division in the perception of what is real, undermining pathways to consensus and mutual sacrifice, and making the country increasingly difficult to govern.
Last night, I downloaded these two Halloween compilations and added them to my SHOUTcast broadcast. Listen for the fun songs.
Bush is planning to give a national speech on Wednesday to address the accusations Kerry made during the presidential debate. First of all, why didn’t he address the issues during the debate? Second of all, will Kerry get equal airtime? Third of all, it’s much easier to read a scripted speech then it is to actually have to think while facing an opponent head-to-head. The speech would give Bush the opportunity to “debate” an invisible opponent. Here’s Bush, trying to take the spotlight away from the actual debates (which are not really debates) and the normal electoral process by using his status as the current president to minimize the effect of his weakness in debate technique (and in actual thought).
Don’t fall for it. By the way, planned job cuts soared to an eight-month high in September. Also, here are some letters from soldiers who are or have been in Iraq over the last few years.
I will be so happy when this election is over. I’m tired of all the propaganda, the lies, the manipualtion, the fear-mongering, the duplicity/doublespeak, the lies, the fake debates coming up, the lies…
I am completely exhausted right now. I think I might have had two hours of sleep last night. I need to do something about that.
Just to clear up any misconceptions, the “free iPods” junk mail that’s been going around? To quote Jon Stewart, “Not so much.” But you’re not someone who falls for that sort of thing. The article says that they have sent some out, but the company claims the rest are on “back order.”
Those cars that Oprah gave out for free? Well, almost. The recipients still have to pay an average of $7,000 in federal income tax. A $7,000 car isn’t bad at all, but still… not quite free.
This article describes some of the scientific reasons behind the increase in powerful tropical storms and hurricanes. It seems we are amidst a period of enhanced hurricane activity that will last for decades. This is unrelated to Global Warming, which will also have a large effect on tropical storms, but not for some time…
The five-day projection for Hurricane Ivan’s track looks very scary, indeed.
Secret underground societies in Paris. Just when you thought the world had no more surprises left.
I’m itching to do some traveling. Next summer will be Europe, definitely, no matter what I’m doing. Anyone want to go?
