Undecided? Take the quiz (s)

Found some good quizes for the undecided voter out there.

They sound cheezy, but they're actually really accurate (Took the test a # of different ways - Nate tested the test)... they are also really good because they are issue-based... not personality based. For those of you bummed on candidates personalities this year, this will help cut through all that.



http://www.presidentmatch.com/Main.jsp2?cp=main

Very updated for 2004. I like this one because it allows you to give weight to certain issues - social, economic, etc. This helps you get a closer match.

http://www.issues2000.org/Quiz.htm

This one has help if you're not quite sure where you "land" on an issue - definitions for everything. It also has exact issue positions of candidates - based on statements, interviews, and platforms. You can also take a similar quiz that plots where you land politically.

Again, this is for the many out there who dont have enough time to read through party platforms. For me, the best quiz is to go through the updated party platforms and rate each statement with a +10 and -10 scale (strongly agree, strongly disagree). Then go back through and put a star on really important issues.

The party platform the scores highest will be your best choice - regardless of candidate. Remember that 90% of the time, a president will vote based on this platform.

Also remember that for most people, no party platform will ever get a perfect score. Go with the best.

If your still in doubt. Ask me, I know what is best for you. hee hee

Open challenge:

Attention all white wing weactionaries ("uhuhuhuhuhuhuhuhuh"):

The GOP has decided to run a story attacking Michael Moore (you know, if you dont like the message, attack the messenger)... Heres a link to the "article" from the RNC homepage:

http://gop.com/RNCResearch/Read.aspx?ID=4466

(Interesting that the word "research" was used in this link... did these people graduate from Fircrest? )

So apparently these quote trawlers found this (attributed to Michael Moore) from the "Daily Mirror", the British tabloid equivelant of the NY Daily News:

"They (Americans) are possibly the dumbest people on the planet… in thrall to conniving, thieving, smug p#%$ks.' 'We Americans suffer from an enforced ignorance.' 'We don't know about anything that's happening outside our country. Our stupidity is embarrassing"

First problem - and a big red-flag: In this quote alone, there are several quote breaks and "..." which lead me to believe that parts are missing. I for one wanted to see the whole, complete, unabridged interview (if there even was one)... you know, something about my compulsion to find PRIMARY SOURCE MATERIAL. I guess I shouldnt get too hopeful that these bottom-feeders would be double-checking their sources, but oh well.

Second problem, having taken this "Moore quote" and turned it through a million searches, I came up with a million sites ALL citing this article in the Daily Mirror - BUT NOWHERE ELSE. Furthermore, I cannot for the life of me find this Daily Mirror revelation in any other Newspaper: NY Times - nope, Washington Post - nope, Washington Times - bubkus, London Times - zippo...

So we have here a quote attributed to Michael Moore, but:

• From only one source - a tabloid
• Missing chunks, and without an unabridged transcript with which to compare
• Never repeated or used in any other paper, magazine, journal, etc - except of course, the RNC

Now I wasnt exactly expecting scholarly excellence from these RNC mouth breathers, but as a consumer and a college graduate, I expect several verifiable, non-tabloid, primary sources before I fully consume, deep-throat, and swallow any claim.

Here is your challenge Mr. White Wing Weactionary: Find me (at least) two more primary sources for this Michael Moore quote.

These sources must contain:

1. A full, unedited and unabridged transcript of interview including verbatum questions
2. Date of Interview, and interviewer
3. Some indication from the interviewer that lends legitimacy to the finished product (you know, like a replicant transcript on michaelmoore.com)

(by the way, these criteria came directly from a Professor's intructions for a UW research paper)

So show me the money.
But until then, the RNC can kiss my college educated ASS

Just one more

On the subject of polling, Heres a great article about how the radio ratings work:

http://www.bcfm.com/financial_manager/Aug%20Sept%2002/The%20Radio%20Ratings%20Game.htm

The only reason these systems (arbitron and neilson) are important is because advertisers "think" they are important. lol

So whenever you hear Rush Limbaugh bragging about getting an 8.0 Arbitron Rating, this means that its only an 8% share of advertising revenue. This means that at the most 8% of the total radio listeners (not "americans", not "registered voters") tune-in to his show (and are exposed to his advertising). This does not even mean that 8% agree with him; This does not mean that 8% of our nation are Dittoheads; This only means that 8% means $$$ to advertisers... thats it!

What this does mean is that despite the despair about multi-million dollar corporations dominating the airwaves, Even the largest corp can only reach 10% of us! They are constantly scrambling to reach us, constantly a duck on ice-skates, and most often, THEY FAIL! Theres still potentially 90% of untapped fertile ground that you and I can reach - and this is just through radio. Add in Books, Newspapers, Internet, Documentary movies, and the possibilities are limitless!

We are the bosses, we are the controllers, we determine our own destiny. Now stand-up and fight!

Battleground

Yes, I know that many folks dont pay attention to polls, but here's one that matters.

http://online.wsj.com/public/resources/documents/info-battleground04-frameset.html

This is one I keep tuning in to, and comparing month after month. This poll is really gonna matter come November.

Just a few notes when looking at this poll.

First off, this is a battleground state poll. A battleground state is a state where based on history, the race will be very close, and a lot of electoral votes will be up for grabs. In other words, Wyoming has only 3 electoral votes and is predominantly Republican - not a battleground. California has 54 electoral votes but is not competitive - not a battleground. Florida - as we all found out last year - has 25 electoral votes (a lot) and is always on the edge - could go both ways.

One more thing about the electoral college. The reason this gets so panicky is because most states have an "all or nothing" electoral vote system. This means that even if a candidate wins by only one vote over his opponent, he/she will recieve ALL the electoral votes in that state. This also means that just because one candidate is doing better in the national polls, he may lose in a battlground poll, and mathematically, may lose the election - see Al Gore.

A few things about polling in general:

A.) I only trust a "scientific poll". That is, the polling data is collected either on a random basis, or based on demographic composites. Most polls like these turn out to be very accurate, and predictive. Gallup is by far the most accurate - if you compare past gallup polls with election results, it turns out to be extremely accurate.

B.) Every poll is just a photograph - a snap-shot. Polls are only accurate for the moment they are given. People change. Events change. Demographics change. Therefore, even over a few days or hours, polling numbers can change too. Just because you see a poll that gives the war in Iraq a 75% approval rating, does not mean things will stay that way. Just because you see a poll that gives W a 90% approval rating, does not mean that people wont change their minds.

C.) Polls are only important because in a democratic republic, the voice of the people (every once in a while) is important. Remember, that just because you disagree with the majority does not mean your wrong, out-of-step, or that your opinion is not valuable. On many occasions, "the word gets out", and people change their minds. In America, our laws protect EVERYONE - not just the majority, the popular, the 75% that support a war, or the 90% that support a president. Germany did not have these laws, and we all know what happened.

The main reason I love checking-in is because I like to see how (and if) certain forms of communication - media sources - affect people's minds. With talk-radio dominated by one point of view, their "words" still dont have a huge affect: books, documentaries, and online sources compete for attention too.

Okay, maybe politics later

I was just thinking about my compulsion to put John Tesh on the same level as "Puritans" and "A Roth-less Van Halen". Perhaps I was too harsh.

Back in the good old days - when one could take-back the thousands of fajooles that the record companies theive from us with each CD purchase - I spent some valuable time downloading music. (RIP audiogalaxy... sniff sniff). See, I dont gamble and I dont rope steer (despite rumors to the contrary), and in Ellensturd WA, aside from these two pastimes, there is cow-cud left to do except downloading music.

So here I was in hell trying to find some good Black Sabbath covers. A few winners. A whole bunch of losers trying to give props. And then I run into this: "The Wizard" performed by " The Zappa brothers with John Tesh". I had to bite. For those of you not familiar with the Wizard (a plague on all your houses), it features a tricky syncopated harmonica solo as an intro. I had to know who was going to take this job, and how? (please please let it be a Zappa)

Well it turned out to be "the Tesh" - not with a harmonica, but with a KEYTAR! To this day, I still cannot believe that this sound entered my eardrums and was transferred to my neurotransmitters. But in a moment of schaudenfreud, I kind of liked it too... (gasp!)

I'll give Tesh his bones: to my suprise - and aside from some syncopation problems - he KNEW HOW TO PLAY BLACK SABBATH!!! Okay, so he played it on a KEYTAR... SO? SO?

So give it a listen, if you can still find it. If anyone can find a copy of the footage of Tesh/Zappa (ewww, those words hurt my ears together), I would love to see it.

Welcome all weirdos!

Thankyou for visiting the mind of Nate - fasten your seatbelts.
 
I wanted to start out by welcoming all those folks on my email list who have suffered through my many forwards.  The involuntary draft is over! (and thankyou for your free-will visit to my blog). 
 
Secondly, I will try to post something once or twice a week - including (but not limited to) articles, webpages, funny photos, videos of people falling, new bands, and of course: unclassified government documents.  As per blog rules, I will try to include something funny/weird/unusual/that happened to me today.  On occasion, I might also venture into the world of Garrison Keileresque tales (some of them tall)... I encourage you to do the same.
 
Finally, please post whenever you get an itch.  I may scratch it, or I may point and laugh, but at least a small portion of the vast online community will now be aware of your ailment.