first? I would think that the candidates would get tired of the polling. It borders on something that's obsessive/compulsive.

Sheesh. Pollibng using cell phones? I guess brain tumors are low on campaign workers' list of priorities.

Scc: polling. I'm fit to be typed.

Dear Mr. Achenblog:

As a member of the Fresno School Board, I take great umbrage at your scurrilous and disrespectful comments regarding our election proceedings. It appears that everyone feels Fresno is fair game for cruel jokes and insulting references in Toyota advertisements. Just stop it. If you don't cease and desist from your snide quips we'll have to seriously consider a raisin embargo. That will teach you.

Sincerely,

Theodore L. Frank
President, Fresno School Board
Fresno, CA

Reporters are lazy. They just report what these various polls prognosticate, rather than actually go out to Iowa in January (!) and talk to actual people who might go to the caucuses to see what they actually think. Folks are less likely (I think) to say something other than what they actully believe if you ask them face-to-face.

I am coming around to the notion that this current nomination system needs to be scrapped. It has now become essentially a continuous process, beginning at the end of one presidential election and only ending four years later. I'm not sure I'm ready to go back to the "smoke-filled room", but do we really want to rely on the Iowa caucuses and New Hampshire voters to decide which person should be our candidates? For all intents and purposes, the spring primaries will be useless. Gotta be a better way.

Interesting.

eb: Think of all of the fun that would ensue if it was the right kind of smoke filled room.

Ah, Cows, you don't know how much we've missed you.

From the parasite file: Parasites that cause rats to crave cat urine. Yuck.

http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2007/04/070403-cats-rats.html

I dunno, ebtnut, do you think? (About the face-to-face thing.) If it's a question of responding the way you think someone wants you to respond, or the way you think you should feel (even though you don't), I would think that being face-to-face could lead to more misrepresentation than methods that feel more anonymous. That social pressure/saving face thing is stronger in person.

...exits lurking mode to be the 22nd reader...

I kinda like the idea of random elections. Let's say, no sooner than every two years, and no longer than every four years, we have a random presidential election. The election is announced, and we have primary elections 30 days later, and a national election 30 days after that. No stinkin' electoral college. Ready, set, go!

It might help to focus the attention of the average voter, especially since my pinko-liberal vote might actually mean something here in the Old North (Red) State.

An unfortunate side effect would be fewer journalists wandering the back roads accosting simple Iowans wearing hats. (Or is that a side benefit? Not sure.)

Yes, there is the obvious problem of who gets to choose the random election time. The simple answer is, I do. You can trust me.

bigcranky, thanks for jumping in.

Repost. I don't want Tim to miss this. If he doesn't already know.

Anyone remember this Oldie but Goldie? Check out the upper lefthand corner of the page.
Hint. SciTim was involved.
There will be an interview with Chris Comer later at the same address.
http://www.sciencefriday.com/feeds/radio/

Posted by: Boko999 | December 7, 2007 11:54 AM

Joel, please take note-
Proposed Guidelines for Targeted Interviewing:
Reporters must always seek those most likely to have well formed, quotable views on specific issues. Here are a few keys to selection and relevant issues-
Immigration: construction workers, landscapers, housekeeping workers
Gun control: men in blaze orange and\or camo clothing
Abortion: nuns in habits
Health care: occupants of ER waiting rooms
Bush tax cuts: Gulfstream and Learjet owners
Same sex marriage: patrons at Elton John and K.D. Lang concerts
Legalized marihuana: Ricky Williams
Iraqi war: Achenblog Boodlers at McCormick & Schmick

I gotta wonder if the thing about people wearing hats has anything to do with fly-away hair. Or how people with hats respond to people with fly-away hair.

There's probably a margin of error for that, too.

Then again, maybe it has to do with the static build-up.

Phew! What a plunge: going from casualy Ablog peruser to actually boodling. I feel like I need to be initiated or something. I'll take the goldfish over the paddle.

Anyway, as much as I find the primary system entertaining in a morbid sort of way, it doesn't seem very democratic. Even with a lot of big states moving up, NH and Iowa still dominate the nomination process disproportionately to their populations. Plus, I think the old system of backroom deals and ballot-after-ballot, marathon conventions has a misty nostalgic beauty to it. Why not split the difference? Let states replace primaries with delegate elections and then let the actual nomination vote occur at the convention with the delegates voting as representatives of their constituents. If every Iowan counts for half a million New Yorkers in the current system, why not have 100 New Yorkers represent them instead?

That would be "marijuana" not its little known and slightly less enjoyable cousin "marihuana" which is an emetic as well as a hallucinatory. You still see colors, but they're really really ugly colors.

23! It's an invasion. Push them back with a stick, install a filter, do something fur crying out loud!

I've been counting lately, Dobbs, and you're way off. I only felt 'cuz it was closing in on 30.

"I've been counting lately, Dobbs, and you're way off. I only felt 'cuz it was closing in on 30."
There's a word missing in there somewhere ...

Safe? Do you feel safe now, McJacob?

Hey hey calm down. Here, take a toke on this marihuana joint. That'll sort you right out.

Safe... yeah that was it. I guess shouldn't boodle while smoking marihuana.

Hey, welcome aboard, New Peeps! Since you folks are new, and because its a cold dreary Friday afternoon, I think the entire Boodle needs a tune cootie AND a bit of cheery exercise! So, c'mon, Boodle. Everybody up. That's it, get up from your desks, wherever you are. You, too, Joel. Loomis, c'mon, up. Wilbrod, you won't be able to hear this, but you can watch and follow along. K-guy, stand up, please. That's it. bc. Cassandra. Everybody.

OK, everybody standing by your computers? OK, here's your tune cootie AND your exercise for the day. No slackers, please.

Awright, punch it:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=miPxFXff-LI&feature=related

No paddle, McJacob. Unless you *like* that kind of thing.

Bigcranky! Was just wondering about you!

Thanks k-guy, I feel much better but a bit peckish now...

I was going to rhapsodize on the wonder of a visit to the USS Arizona, Mudge, but that video just pushed the whole thought right out of my head.

But did it make you laugh? If so, my job here is done.

And did you do the dance?

Mudge, my Corporate Computer won't execute videos or audio files unless they originate in our corporate-controlled electronic domain. Bah!

So, what was the tune cootie?

And, good to see ya'll.

Cows, are you on the Backboodle? If so, I'll tell you there. But I don't want to spoil it just yet. I'll tell you by the end of the day here (unless you want to play it at home).

Yes, it made me laugh.

No, I didn't get up and dance. Rhythmic movement isn't my strong point.

Wow - seeing how rythmically challenged they all are - could be my family.

Jack, toxoplasmosis also manipulates mice in being less afraid of cats. They've been wondering what happens. The rat study is interesting; mice and rats are very olfactorily oriented.

The research so far indicates toxoplasmosis may attack the amygdala (the fear & anger master control in the brain). Humans aren't immune; Toxoplasmosis infection during pregnancy can trigger miscarriage, and it is also indicated in schizophrenia.

Nobody knows what and if adult toxo infection has permanent effects, but this research totally explains the mental oddness of cat collectors and people who apparently LIKE the smell of unchanged kitty litterboxes.

Remember... if you care, don't let your family or friend suffer from excess kitty urine.

Now for a poll:

View this http://www.kittywigs.com/wigindex.html

THEN decide-- funny, clever, insane, cloyingly cute, or cynically exploiting mentally ill cat-lovers for a buck? Write in any alternative answers, of course.
I'm not Gallup, I don't MAKE you answer biased questions like:
"Do you think Mitt Romney should come out of the closet about his secret barechested rock star career wherein he wears a wig, makeup, and nipple rings? Yes or no."

I did have to wonder if every new poster gets a personal welcome from the big guy. Hmmmm. (Thank you very much, BTW, I do feel welcome.)

That said, I've been lurking here for a couple of years, and posted some early on. But I'm usually unable to keep up with the comments, so I dropped back to lurk mode. But I enjoy the generally intelligent commentary and the sense of community here.

Gosh, I'm not sure which was more disturbing: that a bunch of people would willingly appear in that video or that anyone would do that to a cat? I guess I need to get out more ...

Fascinating.

Ignore please violations obvious of grammar rules in post previous. Coffee more need I.

Raysmom, thanks.

Good grief Wilbrod. For shame, for shame. I at least warned people before unleashing an emetic substance.

I think the candidates should be totally honest about all their freaky activities.

Whenever I hear about the controversy over Romney's Mormonhood, I'm reminded of the one time I read the Book of Mormon. Ever done it? It's a real hoot. My impression was that 50% of being a Mormon is keeping your underwear clean. Oh, and cursing the daughters of Zion. My sister really liked that part.

test

How does the wig hold on the cat's head? Staples or pins? Rivets? Glue maybe?

I remember you and Jlessl as well. It's always nice to have the infrequent posters drop by once in a while.

test

Catching up... K:LOTD wrote, "Reporters must always seek those most likely to have well formed, quotable views on specific issues."

It reminded me of a recent story in the Onion (unlinkable from my work PC, alas) which reported that 38% of the American public were not sufficiently qualified to form their own opinions. About anything.

Ask anybody who took woodshop (like me) and they'll suggest a c-clamp with a wingnut to to fit the wig on, Shrieking Denizen.
(This also allows for the "arrow-through-a-wig" option as well.

But I don't know what THEY use. Probably nothing near that secure or metallic.

I like this McJacob. Welcome (back).

So, yes I go with your rivet option. Those cats do look riveted, right?

Byoolin, so should I drink Coke or take coke? Or neither? My brain is exploding from making all this decisoning.

Good to hear from you again, bigc. I need more coffee too. The school district controls the temperature of our building from some 12 miles distant and the HVAC is nuts today. The AC component of the HVAC in my room turned on today when the outdoor temp is hovering in the high 40's. Welcome, McJ.

Has any poll ever correctly predicted the Iowa outcome? If so, was it merely by chance?

I was thinking (fondly) of a hot glue gun, turned up to 11.

It's an important step when journalists question the veracity of polls. Making people think about what poll numbers mean has to be a worthwhile and educational activity. This should be front page news repeatedly right up to election day. Good job.

To address the finding of the Trail items titled Joel's Two Cents. I wanted to reread one, and the only place it could be accessed was through this blog.

Is it a secret identity or something?

Hey Corones... are you logging in to the WaPo site to comment on an article and then commenting here?

That's how you replicate the handle-stealing effect.

[Unfortunately, the minimum number of characters for an official WaPo login ID is four. That's why my official login ID is -TBG- and not just plain ol' TBG.]

I thought I'd catch a few of you on the Eighteen57 historical date. I couldn't respond because I was out shopping.

As for Yello's question about Edward Steves--Steves cut down trees.

http://www.tsha.utexas.edu/handbook/online/articles/SS/ggs3.html

Supposed to be about 83 or 84 today--possibly record setting, as was last Sunday's 86. Rain coming at the first of the week. Suppose it's time to pack away the tank top and shorts. *sigh*

Going to a Christmas party tonight, not sanctioned by the company. A small gathering in a private home--what's left of the systems group--billed as "the last chance to get together," which it technically really isn't. Some of these folks will not have a job that carries past mid-year '08, so I feel sad about the whole idea of celebratory gathering.

It's also at the home of an Loomis-FellowEmployeeSpouse and wife, she who prides herself on the fact that she attends the same Bible study group as former Spur David Robinson. Just wish it were in a far more secular setting like last year, when we ate at that wonderful Chinese restaurant with the chef very recently arrived from the Bay Area. At least it's only a block away, so we'll walk.

I suppose I ought to be wagging a finger at myself for stubbornly mentally resisting this party all week.

Mudge (can I call you Mudge?) the problem with the glue is that it'll stick to the hair, not the bone. As anyone with a cat can tell you, the hair you see now will soon be the hair on your couch. I say woodscrews.

Wilbrod, I'm a Pepsi guy. And my favourite white powder is iocaine.

As I've said before, phone polls represent the opinion of people willing to take phone polls. Being, you know, a nice guy, I once took one. I was rewarded by being barraged with polls from everyone from our congressman to the local radio station. My wife has forbidden me from answering any more polls, and gives me an especially frosty look whenever one calls.

Even beyond the self-selection of phone polls, the wording of polls of any kind can easily guide the results. This is usually done by politicians wanting to gin up support for their positions, but I have seen it other places as well. By inserting absolutes like "always" and "never" any resemblance of nuance or subtlety is removed.

So how to plumb the depths of America's psyche? I think Joel touched on it in his last line (There's some journalism term for that isn't there?) Betting. Like they do over at Slate.

http://specials.slate.com/futures/2008/

I mean, I figure nobody has a better insight to a person's soul than his bookie.

Iocaine ... so that's what I do not smell.

Sure, you can call me Mudge.

I'm fine with wood screws, if that's how you wanna go. I think I'd recommend bronze or brass; steel is too likely to rust.

Anyone for Molly bolts? You get to drill an oversize hole in the skull, and then you get the additional pleasure of inserting that fold-down wing nut gizmo inside the cerebral matter.

The problem with the betting method of political polling is the same problem with gambling lines in general: they look at things logically where people are involved. New England was supposed to steamroll Baltimore, but real people don't perform the same way every time and everyone who made the smart bet, the Patriots would cover the spread, lost. Smart gamblers lose all the time. Just watch the Cincinnati Kid.

dr, glad that I am not alone.

I tried to find Joel's Two Cents in the Trail. It is not on the Wapo.com front page. No direct link to the Trail. I need to go to the blog.washingtonpost.com and scroll down to find it. Or even search in the wWaPo.com. The difficulty to find the article I am interested to read may be the reason I just skip it in the past.

Posted by: daiwanlan | December 7, 2007 12:21 PM

Ears. or Velcro.

Since bc doesn't seem to be around, I'll through it on out there...duct tape.

daiwanlan, till you said it on the last kit, I thought it was only me.

You people are making me feel physically unwell talking about cat-mutilation this way. Of course, I am also audibly laughing. I don't know what is wrong with me.

Too much marihuana, Yoki? Watch out, it is an emetic.

Try this dumb quiz. 3/10 I got 3 4 and 5 right. http://encarta.msn.com/encnet/departments/education_1/?page=quiz110&Quizid=110

I was going to suggest double sided tape to hold the wig in place, then final application with pop rivets.

I think this story may have legs.

"To give you an example of what I read," Whitehouse said on the Senate floor, "I have gotten three legal propositions from these secret OLC opinions declassified. Here they are, as accurately as my note-taking could reproduce them from the classified documents":

1. An executive order cannot limit a President. There is no constitutional requirement for a President to issue a new executive order whenever he wishes to depart from the terms of a previous executive order. Rather than violate an executive order, the President has instead modified or waived it.

2. The President, exercising his constitutional authority under Article II, can determine whether an action is a lawful exercise of the President's authority under Article II.

3. The Department of Justice is bound by the President's legal determinations.

There's a vid at the link. http://thinkprogress.org/2007/12/07/whitehouse-speech-olc/

A suction cup filled with polyurethane glue (think big ape) should work.
Or stitching it in place using a shoemaker's sewing machine.

I almost took a telephone poll once. I was in a pretty good mood, standing there at the phone with my snifter of Grand Marnier, basking in the glow of the pre-meal cocktails and a couple of bottles of wine so I said yes I'll take your poll mylady.
First question: Are you between the age of 18 and 25? No I said, thruthfully.
Goodnight, she said.

'The Trail' is the fourth main headline on my WaPo front page. But I've got a DC-area zip code so it might just be for us Beltway types.

8/10 on the quiz. I knew four of them and had a pretty good idea about Whittier, so lots of blind luck was involved.

Fascinating.

TBG,

I just switched between the DC homepage and the Rest of the World homepage and "The Trail" was in the same place you described on both of them.

halfway through comments, boodling in haste, but must jump in to thank mudge for toon cootie & dance -- i did dance in office chair -- colleagues think i am odd as is -- also, i agree with bigcranky, the idea of a random election within a wide time frame has a certain charm -- too much haste for punctuation, must become a drone of transportation, i look forward to returning soon --

4/10

Anyone crazy enough to shell out $50.00 for a kitty wig probably would shell out for some equally silly special kitty device to hold the wig in place. Rivet the owners not the cats.

I generally don't have much trouble with the "veracity" of polls, dr (given the usual caveats: reliable company and technique, well-designed questions, etc.).
I'm perfectly fine with Smith being 4 points ahead of Jones.

What I *do* have a *very* serious problem with is the interpretation, meaning and utility of said polls. Bigtime trubs here. Of what possible use is it to know that Smith is leading Jones? (Other than prurient curiosity?) OK, Smith is leading Jones and the election is a year out. Big fat hairy deal. This has about the same utility as knowing that USC is leading UNLV at halftime by a score of 48-45. You can root all you want, you can call your bookie and change your bet (maybe), you can go to the bathroom or get a sandwich from the kitchen -- but IT DOESN'T TELL YOU A D@MNED THING ABOUT THE OUTCOME OF THE CONTEST. It doesn't even tell you much about the game itself at that moment, unless you've been following it and noting trends and patterns. Yes, if the score of the poll is lopsided, you can make some "probable" guesses about what's likely to happen...but again so what? Being able to make good predictions is useful in sports-- if you are betting. Being able to predict elections has no similar usefulness to the general man-in-the-street voter/reader. It may be interesting, it may be "news" (it is) -- but it isn't useful, because you can't do anything significant with the data.

If Obama is leading Clinton, so what? What are you gonna do about it? Change who you vote for? Because that is the ONE absolute thing a poll SHOULDN'T make you do. (Sorry for all the caps; if I had some italics I wouldn't have to do this for empasis.)

There are dozens of factors one should consider in deciding who to vote for (and dozens of irrelevancies as well) -- and poll standing is NOT one of them.

The usual poll researchers' (and journalists') answer is that a poll provides a "snapshot" of a point in time. Fine; I accept that. But what freakin' good is the snapshot? Does it help one iota to have a snapshot of forward Johnny Jones standing at the free-throw line 30 seconds before the half of the USC-UNLV game? Nope. It may be a cool photo--but it has no utility to any viewer whatsoever. (Note that the viewer is different from the purveyor.)

My argument is that having all these repeated polls and "snapshots" --while said collection may be a compilation of "accurate" data -- is not only NOT useful, but actually harmful, because it provides noise, clutter, and distraction. It simply advances the "horserace" aspect of campaign reporting and fills up space (print or cyber, doesn't matter), gives the (false) impression that the campaign is being "covered," disguises the lack of discussion about, oh, stupid stuff like issues and positions and qualifications and performance records, and facilitates turning elections into popularity contests. "Should LiLo go back into rehab? Should Giuliani be president? You decide." It's all crap, crap, crap.

And of course everyone is now much too thoroughly invested in it, so it'll never get better or go away. Just about impossible to put the toothpaste back in the tube.

Now, I do concede that polling may be useful "behind the scenes" for the campaign technicians and the candidates themselves, if they want to see how they are doing, adjust their messages, or "triangulate" as people are so fond of accusing Hillary of doing [as though the others don't triangulate, oh, no, never happen]. But just because a tool is useful to a candidate *doesn't* mean it is useful to the public -- or that the public especially needs to be aware of it. Which is why all the good campaigns do their own internal polling anyway, keep the results top secret, and make their moves accordingly.

So, if I'm right (as I always am, ahem, ahem), who is that's going to stand up and say, "Yes, all these polls aren't very helpful. We don't have to eliminate them, but let's significantly reduce them and keep them to a minimum"? Well, you know darn well the pollsters themselves aren't; it's their bread-and-butter. (It'd be like asking Madison Avenue if advertising really works.) Newspapers aren't going to stop. The Politicians themselves (when they are winning) won't say it; only the ones who are significantly loosing say it--and of course in that event no one believes them anyway.

So who's gonna stand up and say this is all nonsense and should stop?

Nobody.

I've been reading, with rapt attention and slack jawed amazement, everybody's comments about attaching a wig. The reason is that I've given myself the reward of buying myself a shiny new rug for the grand and glorious day when I reach my goal weight.

Inasmuch as I'm making some headway in reaching that goal (the halfway mark, to be precise), I'm beginning to consider the more practical ramifications of wearing such a device. You guys have given me soooo many choices of attachments, it's making my head hurt. Screws, mollys, rivets, hot glue, and so on. I see no option but to try them all. Here I thought that the boodle would make my life easier.

Don't even get me started about what kind of hair I should use. Hemp, alpaca, maybe just plain old horsehair.

7\10 on the quiz. John Travolta wears a "Fighting Banana Slugs" t-shirt in "Pulp Fiction". And for those of you who may actually be considering watching "The Cincinnati Kid", don't. The film is set in the 1930's, but Steve McQueen looks like a time traveler with his 1965 hair and clothing and it distracts constantly. The star made no concession to authenticity and it shows.

Some non-shop oriented solutions to wigging out cats:

Kitty ear-clips. Kitty whisker ties. Little plastic ties under the chin. Gyroscopic weights. Lots of lubriderm on the fur.

The latest poll indicates most readers think Curmudgeon makes sense once in a while.
37% think he need to be more curmudgeonly,
12% think he's excessively curmudgeonly, and the rest are satisfied or don't care.
99% of imaginary readers love his stuff.

You have a good point, but if you're the losing team behind at half-time you want to know that so you can alter your strategy and work harder to get those points in. Or choke. Or something, anyway.

So the polls are most useful for the politicans who want to know if their campaign is tanking or not.

9/10 on the quiz. I only missed NAU and I actually know people who went there.

Oh yeah, no dissing Steve McQueen.

It's so hard to ignore polls, even though we all know there is often a huge gulf between poll answers and card punches (remember Doug Wilder?). Very few people have the intestinal fortitude to tell the whole truth and the mental dexterity to sort through the bias in the pollsters' questions to find out what they are really asking. When they poll teenagers to find out rates of teen sex, you think all the boys are going to tell truth if they're virgins, even if it is anonymous? My mother was polled for local elections two months ago and was asked "Do you think taxes should be higher?". And yet, we all look at them to see how our favorite horse is running, praise the accuracy if he/she is ahead, cursing the bias if not. I forgot what my point was, but whatever. Shoot 'em all and let Science sort 'em out!

Only 12%? Hmmmmm.

Steve McQueen was a movie star, not an actor. If pointing this out is disrespect, so be it. Watch "The Magnificent Seven" sometime with the sound off and see how often McQueen attempts to steal other's scenes (especially Yul Brynner's) with physical business, adjusting his hat, fidgeting, drawing the eye of the viewer. The guy had charisma and ambition well beyond his talent.

I'm glad McJacob has taken the plunge and has learned the secret to getting through a long, short, slow, fast, bad, or good day: Just click Submit!

Making another announcement regarding the upcoming Holiday Boodle Porching Hour. McJacob, hope you're in the area and can join us.

Wed, Dec 12
McCormick & Schmick's
1652 K Street, NW
5 pm until ?

Also.. Dave of the Coonties.. if you'll be in town next Friday and Saturday, I'm sure some of us could be pursuaded to gather for an emergency BPH, perhaps Friday night or Sunday brunch?

Gosh, KG, you make me feel like Sonny Corleone!

I actually hate Mag7, because it is just a pale, American shadow of Seven Samurai, one of my top five of all time. But Steve McQueen is great in it. He was undoubtedly the king of Cool, but he was a brilliantly subtle actor in his great performances. Watch Bullitt or Thomas Crown. Fan-you know-tastic.

I would also like to note that since my cat's name is Molly, I think molly bolts would be perfect for attaching her wig.

TBG,
Since I'll be kept busy in the woods near Shepherdstown until Friday and may not have computer access at the hotel in Rosslyn on Friday evening, I'm not sure about being locateable. But I'll scribble my WP registration info anyway (unrememberable password)

Japanese movies do borrow from the American variety. Tampopo has a John Wayne-type truck driver who leads the quest for perfect noodles. So I figure Magnificent Seven is OK. Too bad there wasn't a Mel Gibson Australian version. Or maybe there was.

They don't call me kurosawaguy for nothing. How can I disagree with someone who likes "Seven Samurai" almost as much as I do? Get ahold of the early Robert Altman film "Brewster McCloud" to see a wonderful spoof of McQueen and "Bullitt". I would put "The Sand Pebbles" and "Papillion" at the top of a list of McQueen films.

Aw shucks, KG. I was holding out on Papillion for a future rebuttal. Now I'll just have to moon you.

What, you guys didn't like him in "The Blob"?

Wow, TBG, that's a real honor. I am local (SW DC: Next April, I'll have a 30 second walk to the new Nats' Park). However, I can't make it. I don't get home until 7 at the earliest and the wife and I have a 3-month old puppy at home who takes up most of our time. Maybe in the spring.

Way to undermine my arguments, Mudge. Look, Peter O'Toole sang in Mr. Chips. We all make mistakes.

Oh sure now all you Kurosawa admirer's are going to gang up on those of us who think the high point of film making was Star Wars, and the the best female lead of all time was Jane Fonda in Barbarella.

(kidding)

DaveOtheC, are you going to be at the EMDC in Shepardstown? Kool. They have a nice computer center, so you can boodle your head off. The EMDC is closer to my house than my office is. Of course, ANYTHING is closer to my house than my office is, if you are counting !@#$%^*() commuting time.

Hollywood remakes foreign films much much more frequently than vice versa because of American audiences' resistance to reading subtitles. "The Magnificent Seven," "Fistful of Dollars", "Last Man
Standing", "The Birdcage", "The Tall Blonde Man with One Black Shoe', "Three Men and a Baby", "The Vanishing", "Scent of a Woman", "Point of No Return", and on and on right up to "The Departed" which won Best Picture and Best Director Oscars and is still not as good as the Hong Kong original. I predict that "Pan's Labyrinth" and "The Lives of Others" will be remade soon.

So which color wig does your puppy would look best in, McJacob?

McJacob, if you are within spittin' distance of the New statium, then you are within spittin' distance of Mudge and I. We could do lunch or something, sometime.

Ha, singing in "Mr. Chips" is nothing. Have you seen P O'T in "Phantoms" with Ben Affleck? Still, I can forgive the man anything who made "Lawrence of Arabia" and "The Lion in Winter."

Commuting time got you down, Don? You should try my secret: move to the city. It's much more expensive for much less space, but it doesn't seem like such a bad alternative when you're in a parking lot, impotently rolling by the 55 MPH speed limit sign.

Don, you're going to get my secret out! And right after my commuting jab. You guys at HHS or something? I don't actually work in the city, I just live there. I reverse commute to Loudoun, but I'm never in traffic. Still, if you like dogs, you could spend your lunch hour walking ours with Mrs. McJ.

TBG, he needs no wig. In fact, he looks like he's got one, almost. He's a fluffy white, Great Pyrenees. In 3 or 4 months, he'll be big enough to eat anyone who tries to put a wig on him.

The best part of the Peter O'Toole Chips fiasco, is that when they cast him in Man of La Mancha, they insisted he be dubbed for the singing.

Thanks for the advertising, Boko. The truth is, videos get onto ScienceFriday by virtue of the efforts of their creators. It took a week of conversation, ftp'ing, and collecting publication releases, in order to get Hotel Mauna Kea onto their web site. I noticed that the SciFri crowd is more choosy, and ranked it down at only about 2 stars out of 5 instead of the top marks that it was getting on YouTube. Where, I have just checked, we are closing in on 7000 hits.

McJ, I'm at the Navy Yard, in the building that looks puzzleingly like an airport control tower. It used to be the place where they made the WWII Nordon bomb sights. They would calibrate them on the exactly known positions of the Capital, the Washington Monument, and the Jefferson Memorial.

I'm off to the gym. Made a literal milestone in my tedious treck back to good health: I ran a mile, then a run/walk another mile. Tonight, two whole miles. Only 24.2 more miles (at 5 mph,) to go (at once) to meet my goal. All this trouble, just to wear a wig?

Yeah but what a wig Don, what a wig.

If you guys near the Navy Yard ever eat at the Quiznos at 8th & Potomac, take note that it's in the building my dad was born in and grew up in until his teens. His dad had a restaurant there and the family lived upstairs.

Hello! I'm glad to be able to breathe and write complete sentences (don't get used to that part). Welcome McJacob and other new peoples, good to have you back BigCranky. I loved and thoroughly agreed with Mudge's 3:26 on polls, in an imaginary way of course. They're useful for candidates, not for voters. Unless, of course, you're the type of person who makes your decisions based on what everyone else is doing.

When I think of political polls I take umbrage at the fact that nobody ever calls to poll me. Then I realize that, the few times I have been polled, I just screw it up. Deliberately. As RD noted earlier, poll wording is everything. One can often guess the bias of the entity paying for the poll by listening carefully to the questions. I'll wait until I hit one of those, then cheerfully ask the poll person who has generated this poll request. They'll repeat the name of the polling service. I'll say, no, thank you but I want to know who has paid your company to conduct this poll - that is, who wrote the questions and will be looking at the answers. I'm always very polite and will explain why I want to know. Usually, the poor peon poll caller has no idea. Sometimes they say they can't answer that. I'll ask to speak to a supervisor. Often the supervisor will tell me they aren't allowed to give that information out. They never tell me who paid for the poll, but they don't let me finish the survey either. I figure I am doing my small part to educate the poll caller. Some of them have been quite interested in the question and its implications. Of course, they're not paid for that. I hope I haven't cost anyone a job.

Thanks for the cat wig speculation. Ivansdad will love it. Like Yoki, I found my own laughter disturbing.

I like to know that too, Ivansmom.

What really irritates me about polls, is the questions. They don't allow for any clarifications, and only give you yes or no or scale of 1-10 type answers. Nothing is that black and white.

Find out which way the crowd is going, run to the front and shout "follow me!" Wear a hat.

"We can dance if we want to
We can leave your friends behind
'Cause your friends don't dance
And if they don't dance
Well they're no friends of mine
I say, we can go where we want to
A place where they will never find
And we can act like we come from out of this world
Leave the real one far behind
And we can dance"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HcOZ6xFxJqg

Charley Manson is related to George Bush and Mitt Romney. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anne_Hutchinson
Descendants:
Among her notable descendants are Presidents of the United States Franklin Delano Roosevelt, George H. W. Bush and George W. Bush, First Lady Lucretia Garfield, actors Chevy Chase and Ted Danson, actresses Marilyn Monroe (possibly) and Jane Wyatt, writers Louis Stanton Auchincloss, Dubose Heyward, Eve LaPlante, Robert Lowell and John P. Marquand, Attorney General Elliot Richardson, Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr. and Chief Justice Melville Weston Fuller, commodore Oliver Hazard Perry, Senator Stephen Arnold Douglas, Ambassador Pamela Harriman, former Massachusetts governor and 2008 U.S. presidential candidate Mitt Romney, the infamous convict CHARLES MANSON has been added to the list in the last edition of the book "The Royal Descents of 600 Immigrants".[12][13], and Dylan Avery (director of Loose Change)

This is disturbing. I got 8/10 on the stupid college mascots quiz. I knew two of them cold, had vaguely heard of one of them, and deduced the remaining 5/7. I am startled to discover this insight into the psychology of college mascot naming.

Well, ScienceTim, with your example in mind I took the quiz. Six of ten. I knew one, deduced two, and strongly believe my choices for the remainder should in fact be the proper answers.

Kind of like taking a poll.

A generation ago, I studied polls and surveys in grad school and supposedly learned how to write questions. It's not often you get a survey that is truly interested in eliciting your actual opinion. I don't mind answering those, but the latest call I got is more typical:

*phone rings*

Me - Hello.

Person on other end - Good afternoon, I'm so-and-so and we're taking a poll today. Do you believe abortion is murder of an innocent child?

Me - Um, no. Have a nice day.

*hang up phone*

Long ago, I worked for a telephone survey company. They didn't sell anything - it was mostly marketing surveys (including one long, horrendous one about "financial institutions" that we did when there was nothing else to do). I got paid by the hour, minimum wage. I don't remember ever doing anything like a political poll, which would have been vaguely interesting to me. Anyway, it has given me sympathy for people doing surveys, so occasionally I go ahead and take them - or at least I'm polite (and quick) to refuse. But I've never been called by Gallup or anyone, just a local company occassionally for political stuff. It's pretty funny how rude people will be - all they have to do is hang up the phone, if they don't want to take the survey. And if answers are too weird, the survey gets thrown out.

Glad I didn't have to do that for long - but for me, it was better than flipping burgers or working in department stores.

Sorry. I had to break boodling for late Friday afternoon work. didn't anyone tell my boss that Fridays are supposed to be lazy?

I don't mind polls when I have time, and an opinion. What I do mind is phone sales. Whoever invented that, well I'd like to wreak havoc, ruination, despoiling and stuff on that person. May RD and his silent black helicopters descend upon your door.

All afternoon its been nonstop advertisers and directory listings, topped off by serious work. To beat all, I found unposted bucks. Just after I ran all the reports.(Raysmom you understand, don't you?)

I'm in the mood for mayhem, but I think I'd rather pick up my friend Bailey and go home to knit.

I did phone surveys for money when I was in college--the job title was "research assistant." Considering how much I dislike talking on the phone, I'm surprised that I didn't hate the job. But I didn't. It was really interesting and I was amazed at what people were willing to tell me, a stranger calling out of the blue. The study we were doing was a follow up to a government job training program (remember "CETA?"). We asked about employment history, salaries, training experiences. The best question was, "Why did you leave that job?" We heard some good stories, and it was amusing to try to condense a totally unique and off-the-wall situation into one of our pre-set multiple choice answers.

That was a survey, not a poll.

Kber, I remember CETA. We don't do job training like that anymore, do we? I bet you did hear some interesting stuff!

I lived off and on in telephone accessable areas of Califorina until I retired and never was asked to respond to a poll. Then six years ago I moved to Oregon and was polled by Gallup. Since then I have been polled about every four months. I think it is like ordering some from a catalog. Also we ordered tickets to the John Kerry campaign stop four years ago via e-mail. That has resulted in a blizzard of e-mails plus various autographed photos of the present administration's family and friends. Once polled I think you get on the "randon sample" list.

ps: Joel I also take umbrage. Fresno State BSIE 1959

Boko999-- thanks for sharing. She was a 12th great grandchild of King Edward I of England.

Considering Anne Hutchison lived nearly 400 years ago, if she had only 2 kids and thse had 2 kids and so on, for 20 generations, she'd have over 1 million descendants living now.

Actually she had 15 children, but only 6 survived a massacre and at least 5 reproduced.

The number may be far more. I think around 1/5 of America is estimated to count 1 or more of the Plymouth settlers in their ancestry. That'd be over 60 million. The offical society just estimates "tens of millions."
http://www.themayflowersociety.com/

I am fairly certain I am not one of them, being descended from the earliest French-Canadian settlers instead. The numbers of their descendents are smaller, estimated at less than 10 million in both Canada and the US; however I tend to think the actual number is higher since cultural identity is lost with assimilation to another language, or they simply claimed French ancestry (13 million in the US do.)

My dad's family has a tradition that their name was originally spelled in the French fashion, but changed to Americanize-- not uncommon.

Just vote in a couple of Republican primaries and you end up on all sorts of mailing lists.

Remember this posting of mine in an old Boodle?

http://blog.washingtonpost.com/achenblog/2006/05/bob_and_mickey_and_blogginghea.html#c403020

Back in the early 1980s my younger bro and I went to a Democratic caucus to learn more about Gary Hart. What a disillusioning experience this was.

First, I learned that a caucus is controlled by those who have enough time and political fervor to take part in a caucus. Which, at that time, meant middle-aged hippies still burning with revolutionary fever and Senior Citizens who fondly recalled getting blotto with Huey Long.

They asked us to take part in one of those highly biased polls designed to make Dick Cheney sound like Chairman Mao. (Should the United States always stand in unquestioning solidarity with the rights of oppressed workers worldwide? Circle Yes or No.)

Bro and I were polite and respectful, but we made one major mistake. We used our real names. (Oh, were we ever that young?) We were pummeled with junk phone calls and mailings for years. Somehow the idea that our interest in one Democrat didn't mean our unfailing loyalty to all Democrats was too much for them.

Although that Huey Long fellow did sound like a pretty fun guy.

About 60 000 French immigrants came into North-America in the 1608-1759 period. Louis Denizen came in one of the early waves, ca 1630. Most Franco-Americans can trace their ancestry to the roughly 1 000 000 French Canadians who emigrated to the US from the beginning of the Industrial Revolution to the Great Depression. Of course you get the native Franco in Louisiana, Michigan and other border states that were ceded to the Red Coats in 1763, but those are relatively small numbers. In the same period Canada accepted about the same number of people from Europe, mostly. Land, transport and some support were available to the immigrants but not to the citizen of lower Canada... Yet some of the most successful farmers today are the descendants of the few Francos who paid their way to the West.

This was in answer to Wilbrod, of course. People keep changing their names. The Denizens haven't but my mother's family name has been through about 8 iterations, each giving its descendance a different name. A queen wouln't find its kitten in that mess.

Even a queen with a wig stitched/stapled/riveted/bolted/screwed/glued to its scalp.

Wow, the cat in the s l utty silver wig looks a lot like Kuching.

10/10 on the quiz, but "college mascots" and "newspaper of record in cities over 10,000" are my Jeopardy categories.

Welcome new boodlers!

Two things military families can count on-not getting called by pollsters, and not doing jury duty. Never on the rolls long enough for your number to come up.

Louis Denizen almost certainly beat any of my Virginia ancestors to North America, as in one John (Jean?) Perdieu, 1700.

humm. Perdieu is more a Belgian name than a French one. But borders are highly movable aren't they. 1700 is a long way back. (Pardieu(x) "By God!" as in Gérard Depardieux is a fairly common name though)

Re the cat and their wigs - OK who stole my cat. The cat sporting the pink and blue wigs looked like my gray baby -

I was thinking used bubble gum might work to adhere the wigs in place.

I am stunned. I am in shock. I am floored. I simply cannot believe I am about to offer the following opinion: Charles Krauthammer has written a good, sensible column.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/12/06/AR2007120601966.html?hpid=opinionsbox1?hpid=opinionsbox1

Yes, I know what you're thinking. No, I haven't been drinking. No drugs (not even prescription or over-the-counter). I didn't have funny mushrooms for dinner.

It's inexplicable. It's like one of those pieces of toast that looks like Jesus. I can't explain it, or account for it. But there it is.

I suppose it could be a very clever forgery. Gotta think about that possibility some more.

But who would do such a thing? And what's their evil motive?

Frankly, I'm stumped.

Gérard doesn't use the x

And let's not forget the "dits" as well, Shrieking. Those are fun, the surname doesn't get misspelled, it gets completely replaced.

Like Amiot dit Villeneuve, then all the descendents are "Villeneuve" and giving birth to endless variations... http://www.geocities.com/villeneuve_connections/

(Dit= called)

I would note that Wiki needs to updated to reflect the Couric revelation:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joel_achenbach

I was floored too Mudge. It's because the Huckster attacks the Krautster's man, the Mittster. The Krauttser knows Romneys is highly electable and would probably make a good president (giving his tendency to morph into a very efficient, goal driven being when he's got a goal to achieve) while the Huckster is a primary wonder that would not be electable. The Krautster ain't stupid.

Shrieking Denizen-- you're right about borders being moveable. At the time New France was being settled, France had part of Holland, Belgium, Luxembourg inside its borders, so they'd have been eligible to be "French" settlers. Even if they had funny names like Wilbrod.

Mudge - I think you are right. Although he couldn't resist the dig against Bill Clinton, this was a shockingly thoughtful column.

Now I'm all scared.

Wilbrod, my mother is a mere 3 generations removed from a "dit Laliberté" (said the freeman), whose father was known as "dit L'Ainé" (said the elder). No one has a clue what the original family name was. Which points toward a metis/indian family name.

Only the Krauttster would mention William Henry Harrison.

His column is a splendid one, but rather irrelevant to a religion-soaked Republican party. Unless Giuliani wins the nomination.

Romney's a prime example of why it doesn't pay to follow news coverage during primary season. He likely would be able to collaborate with a Democratic Congress.

It's creepy, isn't it? I've got the willies.

Seems Perdieu morphed into Perdue.

Makes sense DotC, very close pronunciation.

Naive comment. Months of polls and debates both predicable and bizarre and, as JA notes, no votes.

I can't believe how fast things will happen though come the new year. Iowa on 1/3, a bunch of important primaries that have moved up before Super Tuesday and then ST in early Feb.

I don't see how the front runner after ST could lose. Unless the parties really take away the delegates from the states that impermissibly moved their primaries up, almost 2/3 of the delegates will be chosen by ST. With the holidays coming, the primary season seems about over.

Of course, I could be wrong.

Yeah Mudge, Krauthammer did write a good article. But what he doesn't point out is Romney used the "us against them" demagoguery in his speech--he made it an "us believers against them non-believers" argument. Krauthammer is right--but Huck ain't the only one using the religious argument to try to make political points at the cost of civility in our society.

Don! did I miss the official announcement of your marathon goal, or was your 3:26 the first mention of it here? Either way, best of luck. Are you going for the Marine Corps Marathon? (a great one for first, and only, timers)

If you are wondering what I am doing up at this hour it's that I installed a new internet security software, deleted 31 000 temporary internet files (witch no.2 needs some training I neglected to provide) and I'm defragnmenting a pair of discs on Old Faithful (a 2002 eras fairly decent gaming computer in heyday). I may be finished by dawn.

SCC sorry, even by my standards it was bad. defragmenting, era and so on. I'll shut up soon.

The NYT editorial LindaLoo pointed to earlier said it all, regarding the triangulation of both the Huckster and the Miister with regard to religion, Christian or otherwise.

Bill, if there is a clear frontrunner after Super Tuesday, I think you are right. But there also exists the possibility -- in my gut I think it's the likely outcome -- that there *won't* be a clear frontrunner. I think all the ST states are gonna split up a bit, and that the game won't be over at halftime.

I think this is more likely on the GOP than the Dem side, if only because Hillary appears to be further ahead on her side of the aisle than any of the GOPers are on theirs. I never bought into the "Hillary is inevitable" argument, and in my mind it's a coin toss. I can see a scenario where she loses in Iowa and New Hampshire (or "fails to meet expectations," same thing), and her campaign vaporizes overnight. I think that if a gap opens up that shows she's vulnerable to a loss, she's toast. In my view, she has to sweep. (And that could happen.)

If I was a bettin' man -- I wouldn't. This can go any which way.

Back in the bad old days the optimization softwares were showing little rectangles of colors being moved around when doing disk optimizition. It was probably a trick, I don't think the purple files were being moved to the yellow spots and all. But still, it was somethning you could watch and it kept you entertained, in some ways.

Hitchins would not agree with the K-hammer:

http://www.slate.com/id/2179404/

I recognize that Hitchins has another grudge in this fight but, I am sorry, we have to make decisions about the people who are going to be president. I would have no qualms taking Romney's religion into question, given its admittedly checkered past.

For that matter, by way of example, I think it would be totally appropriate today if a Catholic were running for president to determine the extent to which he adheres to Catholic dogma regarding birth control, abortion and other official positions of the Catholic church. Why would that be wrong?

I mean, c'mon. Does Romney get a free pass because he belongs to this vagabond religion no one knows about and would not admit African-Americans until 1978, Just askin'.

7/10 on the quiz. I missed Mirages, Diplomats and Geoducks. When I was a preteen, I always wondered who was the Nobel Prize winner that thought up the team name for Akron U., the Zips. they played their home matches in the Rubber Bowl. that still strikes ma as funny. I wouldn't be surprised if Firestone has dedicated the Consolidated Dome for basketball. ConDome.

SCC: he or she

SCC: he or she

'Mudge

You are right. Who knows on the R side.

The D side reminds me a little of '68, just to date me, of the Hillary/Humphrey campaign and the Obama/Kennedy movement.

We never found out what would have happened back then. Really interested in seeing how it plays out in 2008.

The Republicans have brought up religion as a code to the religious right to say all kinds of things that they couldn't get away with overtly stating as policy positions. More important, when a guy is declared "a good Christian leader", the listener hears "Christian" with the definition he wants to apply to the word. Thus, if I am an evangelical right-to-lifer who believes in capital punishment for anyone who provides a pregnant teen with the phone number of an abortion clinic, then that is what I hear. And, if I am a devout mainstreamer who believes that people need to make individual moral choices, then I may be able to convince myself that that is what he means -- after all, he has made no clear policy statements to contradict that belief, has he? So, it lets these candidates be all things to the better than 50% of the American people (evolution preserve us!) who believe our species was created by fiat a mere 5000 years ago and that physical non-metaphorical angels intervene in our daily lives. And that is enough to get elected.

Some years ago, when ScienceKid#2 was wee and small and looking at used Beanie Babies in a yard sale, a lady came up to discuss Beanie Babies. Seeing that SK2 had a donkey BB (from a political pair that Ty was selling -- there was a matching elephant), the woman decided to talk politics with a little kid. I don't recall how it happened. She spoke favorably of W. The Kid questioned this a bit (okay, not all THAT wee and small, and politically precocious). "Well," says the woman, "I think he's a good strong Christian president, and I think that's what we need."

Said the Kid, with a blank expression, "I'm Jewish."

The kid done good.

I'm guessing 8-12 year old range, ScienceTim. Perfect response.

Hi, all.

I've had a really difficult yet comical day. May have to write about it later.

Couple of thoughts about poling: talk about profusion, you forgot to mention the 'stripper,' 'barber,' or 'Bat' types.

Also, if you walked up to me and asked nicely if I were willing to be polled, or to take *your* poll specifically, I'd have to decline politely, and suggest you take me to dinner and a movie before asking me again. Maybe some flowers. After all, a boy's got to have some standards...

I'd agree that hats make for more interesting people, and the effect of static charge on thought patterns and flyaway hair, LiT. I wonder if there could be a relationship between the metal or foil content in said hat and interesting answers to poll questions...

Speaking of which, thanks for the duct tape comment in there WiggedOutCat thread while I was indisposed. Duct tape *would* be my initial solution of choice for securing a wig/cat interface, but I've been investigating FIG (Feline Inert Gas) techniques which may be applicable in this case.

At the current state of development, FIG requires use of Schrodinger-type Inert Feline equipment, which does not *always* produce the desired results:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Schrodinger%27s_cat

Also, what's the big deal about caucuses?
I thought Lewis Carroll had the final word on caucuses in Chapter 3 of 'Alice in Wonderland," didn't he?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alice_in_Wonderland#Chapter_3:_A_Caucus-Race_and_a_Long_Tale

I won't take the opportunity here to segue from a Dodo to any given column or politico. This is left as an exercise for the reader.

bc

As the (pretty well lapsed) grandson and nephew of Methodist ministers (whom I respect greatly), I subscribe to the "Forrest Gump" school of theology:

"Religious is as religious does."

Our dear friend Cassandra wears her religious beliefs upon her sleeve, and supports those stated beliefs with acts and words of caring and compassion to which we should all aspire. Many political/social leaders have done likewise: J. Carter / M.L. King / M. Gandhi / T. Gyatso (Dalai Lama)... [lots more, but you probably get the point] ... these are folks whose religiosity concerns/troubles me not a whit. All of them human, all of them prone to failure and weakness, but none of them (to my knowledge) ever tried to use their religion as a justification for anything that they did, good or bad. They made it clear that their religious beliefs helped them gather the strength to overcome adversity in order to "do good", but I don't think that any of them ever stated that religion was the primary source of their knowledge of what was "good".

I get a bit antsy with folks who claim that the only justification they have for their beliefs is that their religious tradition has made it clear to them, and that they don't understand how anyone else can possibly base a value system differently.

If memory serves correctly (somehow, I'm guessing that it does!), even Christ himself did not claim to a unique knowledge of which behaviors were "good". His message(s) assumed that people already knew how to love, care, and worship. He mostly reiterated the importance of doing so, and added the call to follow Him and His Father while doing so.

Simple stuff, right?

: )

SCC -
"did not claim to..."
=
"did not lay claim to..."

Hmmm... I'm self-identifying my intemperance again! Good night, all.

I hope I'm just passing through and will catch a few extra zzzz's soon. Otherwise, I may have to take a hammer to my head.

My problem with polls is that you have to have faith in the pollster and how he/she/it phrases the questions. Then you have to wonder whether they recorded the responses from their loaded questions correctly. Finally, you have to wonder whether the results that they publish are real or statistically enhanced to promote their agenda.

But then pollsters NEVER have an agenda. They just want to show the public opinion they happen to ascribe to.

(what... me pessimistic?)

Peace out and play Santa today.

We need more Santas.

Morning all! LTNS bigcranky and Hiya McJacob!

I don't think I ever completed a phone poll... Too much history asking questions myself to get tripped up that way.

bc, better to be polled than poleaxed, of course.

*busy-weekend-ahead Grover waves*

8/10 on the mascot quiz.

:-)

'morning all. I don't know if it read the boodle over my shoulder but the Liquid Cat is looking at me with even more contempt than usual. That cat can muster a look that make you feel unworthy of breathing the same air as it does.
We got some snow last night and more to come today *sign*. We are supposed to go snowshoeing tomorrow, Ithink that will be our earliest effort yet since we moved in the area in 1988. And off to a busy day, starting with the Puppy's long walk.

Moved into the guest room during the night due to excessive snoring on Mr. G's part. I got up at 7:15 and came downstairs to begin my day. Emptied the dishwasher, made coffee, got the paper...

When I opened up my MacBook and saw the time I realized that the guest room clock hadn't experienced the "fall back" to EST.

Oh well. Nice early start to my day. This is earlier than I get up on weekdays!

Grover waves for everyone! What's on your agenda for the day?

Ooops, TBG, don't you just love it when that happens? The clock in my bedroom here at the cottage is supposed to move back/forward automatically. The problem is that it's on the old schedule, so there are several weeks when it will be wrong and there is nothing I can do about it. I know, I've tried! But enjoy an early Saturday morning!

I don't normally read Krauthammer, I have to keep my blood pressure under control. That was very interesting. I didn't read Hitchens either. Fundamentalists of any stripe, even atheistic, just don't appeal to me.

Regarding Krauthammer: typical Republican move to only care about an issue of personal freedom when it affects him or someone he supports.

Good morning Boodle. TBG, if you can bear the early start, it sure can put you ahead on your day.

It is just plain cold here -- -4 F and not much relief in sight. Fortunately, the roads are fairly clear and dry, so the weather won't prevent any of our usual Saturday activities (which are not interesting).

It does really matter to me, since I will be glued to the computer drafting job descriptions, templates, process maps etc. for my new team. That is all very engaging, and I'm happy to do it. However, I have not bought a single Christmas gift to date, and I feel time's winged chariot hurrying near. Will enlist Himself to bail me out of that pickle.

On topic (!) we are about to head into election season; I predict there will be a provincial election in the spring, and possibly federal as well. That means the stupid phone will be ringing off the hook. It is grand to be a Liberal in Alberta. Since there are only 14 of us, we are easily identified by the Conservative pollsters and they leave us alone after a first hit.

Have a great day.

Morning All.
This morning I'm going spray paint a wood pole silver and put a base on it for my Festivus Pole. I think I'll make it multi traditional by sticking artifacts from various winter solstice celebrations on top. I have a baby Jesus from an old nativity scene (I hope son/himself/spooky thing isn't afraid of heights), and a tiny plastic menorah. I suppose I'll have to wiki for info on other traditions to complete my project though I do have a poster of a Goya painting of Saturn. I'm of two minds concerning its appropriateness; I think I'll google to find a friendlier image.

Oh, oh. The blizzard is here.

Morning boodle! I overslept so I'll be playing a bit of catch up all day but with -15 on the old thermometer I am taking the time for a hot breakfast. Coco Wheats!
http://www.littlecrowfoods.com/products/cocowheats/index.asp

And what is your team named, Yoki?

I was thinking Yoki's Tigers. :-)

"it's CoCo Wheats, birdbrain!"

Good morning, all.

Boko, chuckling about the idea of Goya's Saturn as part of the holiday display in your house.

I read K-hammer's column, and am simply reminded of the human need to feel included in a peer group (aka "us") that we feel refelcts the ways we want to be perceived, which in many cases requires a group or groups to be reviled (aka "them").

When I think about it, this predisposition for us vs. them conflict can be seen all over the animal and insect kingdoms.

Curiously, once a species or group becomes successful and feels like it has become victorious, it seems like there's only one other enemy to face; the most dangerous one, the last one that threatens the security in everything you've built.

Interestingly, we usually end up looking at the next house over for that enemy, when it might do us some good to have a good long look in the mirror.

"We have met the enemy..."

bc

Who you calling a birdbrain, TBG?

For the first time since I can remember, my HS daughter got out of bed before I did this morning. She is volunteering at a wrestling competition and one of her duties is to wipe the blood off the mat. I Suppose somebody has to do it...

Yoki, there's only 12 of you. The other guys polled.

I work next door to a mascot production facility. Our view of their back bay doors allows us to see some very cool things. If I were making doll furniture, I would talk to them about purchasing scraps but that would sure cut down on the bin picker people. Lets just say some people go deep for their craft.

Martooni, I know what you mean. I woke at 2:00 mt time and I've been knitting since then. this has gone on for years, and I jsut plain old don't worry about it. If I get up, I do something. I tried reading, but that makes me dopey and then when I go back to bed, I'm wide awake again. so I do handwork till its time to wake the household.

Waking the household on Saturday is a task I take great pleasure in. I begin at 6:00 a.m. and start with a phrase my mother-in-law once uttered to a sleeping spouse. Get up dear, its time to fix the bed. Good morning and Happy coffee to all.

*laughing*

http://littlecrowfoods.com/products/cocowheats/video/coco_commercial.mov

If my wife asked me to get up because the bed needs to be fixed, I would assume that it was broken.

I had a scoop of ice cream in my morning coffee. I can't believe the half gallon has lasted over 48 hours in this house. Note: A friend of mine mentioned that he can't buy half gallons of ice cream anymore. They trimmed off a few ounces from the carton. I never got the memo.

Good morning, everybody. Howdy, Pat! It has been drizzling here since yesterday, but they have promised that we will have a freezing rain storm sometime between tomorrow and Tuesday. Freezing rain is also known as "ice". It is my least favorite winter weather, because it is most likely to down power lines. I'm about to hit the grocery store in preparation. I'm laying in supplies assuming we'll still have electricity.

ScienceTim, I like ScienceKid's response to the "Christian President" discussion. I'm guessing he was four or five. I think Huckabee is shamelessly playing the religion card, but then Romney is too. It is all "us and them". I think Bob S. (howdy Bob!) hit the nail on the head with the difference between trying to live a life and do good based on faith, and trying to say that faith defines the good.

I don't know about that ice skating today; it is pretty damp.

Pretty here this morning. A little confectionary sugar dusting of snow over everything, sparkling in the sun. Welcome to the new boodlers. Wish I had more time to read and post here but so busy between work and now trying to decorate and bake. I can't imagine how much worse it would be if I hadn't finished my shopping.

I do appreciate the people I work with. During a very busy week with lots of deadlines and distractions, everyone kept their sense of humor. I feel quite grateful to have found this particular job. And did I mention the commute? Plus, it's about a mile from the back entrance to the local mall, which has contributed to having finished shopping.

The only polls I've taken have been the online Zogby ones. I find them too broad and have stopped doing them as my answers didn't really reflect my views very well. I don't care what religion, if any, the candidate is, I care if he/she is honorable, truthful, compassionate (for real, not this fake pandering) and flexible on the issues based on changing information and facts. So far the Repubs don't impress me and I don't see that changing.

I like it, dbG :)

Good morning, Boodle. Martooni, hope you get some rest today. I never got polled, but a lot of fund raising. My kid always commented, "Why are you so angry?" I am never angry when I just got ready for my dinner after a long day and the phone rand and "It's for you, daddy." But yes, they are also working, in a sense, to support their family.

Good Morning all
I slept in today too, my commute home wasn't too much fun last night. The roads here is west by god were an icy mess, thankfully I was the only one on them. I had a full tank of gas and good tires and only lost control a couple of times. Freezing rain sure looks pretty on the trees so I guess it is just a give and take.

I haven't checked the weather for today, but the sun is out now and everything is glistening.

dr-are you close, as in influential, with the mascot makers? The literacy organization I work for is looking for a mascot to use for parades and personal appearances. My theory is that kids love a mascot and will demand that the 'rents take our goodie bags full of free literacy tips and a book. Pictures from last year's small town festival parade circuit show that tots were indifferent, and the parents welcomed us with the enthusiasm usually reserved for telemarketers.

Seriously-if any boodlers know of a mascot manufacturer you would recommend, let me know. We'd like to stay under $1200 (American) for a puppy/dog costume. The costume must totally obscure the identity of the person inside as we'll have a variety of volunteers portraying the critter.

Internationl Mascots

Dang send button. I hit that too quick.

Not at all influential, I just get to see their waste bins... They have the most fascinating waste bins.

Our parking lot abutts their parking lot.

Of Anne Hutchinson: "She was a 12th great grandchild of King Edward I of England." Assuming that there was no cross- or back-breeding in those 1 generations, that means Anne had 8,191 other 12th great-grandparents, all of whom contributed just as much (statistically) to Anne as did Eddie.

The assumption is likely wrong--there were likely fewer than 8,100 different 12th great-grandparents. Genghiz Kahn's life overlapped with Edward I; perhaps he was one of these 8,100 or so other 12th great-grandparents of Anne Hutchinson.

??Who was Mudge messin' around with in the 13th century? Was he another one of 'em? Are writing skills inherited? And...Anne Hutchinson's life overlapped with Shakespeare's. Kinda spooky, ain't it?

Bleame me for the EXACTLY 12:00 post. That's kinda spooky, too. Also worth more points than claiming "First!".

We got a suprise dusting of snow this morning sometime between 4:30 when I let the dogs in and 6:30 when I got back up.
All the pine and fir trees looked like a pretty holiday greeting card for an hour or so.

I'm sorry Boko, but tradition pretty much demands the pole be aluminum. What has happened to respect for tradition? We are doomed. This grievance will be further aired at the appropriate time.

Sunny here finally, and cold - 33 degrees F at about 8 am. I realize for some of you that would be a heat wave, but for me it's cold. Glad to have the sun, though. They're talking about snow tomorrow, but not much - so I should probably prepare for a foot of it. My kiddo's coming in tonight for a visit - it will be good to see him.

mostly... enjoy your boy!

As a mom who is just getting used to having her son away (and does college even count for that?), your news that your kiddo is visiting brought a smile to my face.

Has he decided on the move to Brooklyn?

I get both Thing 1 and Thing 2 next Sunday from noon to five. I'm practically giddy at the thought.

Hi, TBG. My son is still "negotiating" with the company about the job. They weren't willing to pick up his moving expenses, and he won't do it unless they do - but I think they're still talking about it.

Hello, friends. Just got in from a missionary quarterly meeting that went well. A little tired from cleaning up after the meeting. We served food.

Hello, McJacob and bigcranky. Welcome.

Mudge, Slyness, Scotty, and all, *waving*

No one asks my opinion about anything. I think sometimes people don't want to take the time to communicate with hearing-impaired folks. Whatever the polls conjure up, all bets are off if African-Americans go to the polls and vote.

Pat, the weather here is so beautiful. It is slightly warm, and periods of sunshine so bright, it almost hurts your eyes. It like somebody took the cold air and exchanged it for some warmth. I've turned off the heat, and the door is wide open.

Have a good day, every one. We're getting closer to Christmas, and a brand new year. My, time does fly. I can hardly believe it's Xmas again. Enjoy your weekend.

Ivansmom, thanks for the tip about the toothbrushing. I will try that.

God loves us so much more than we can imagine through Him that died for all, Christ Jesus.

Frosti, Grey Seal Puppets designed a mascot for the Charlotte FD and we really like it. It was more than $1200, I'm pretty sure, but you could check with them and see what they can do for you. IIFC, we used a grant from the US Fire Administration to pay for the work.

http://www.greysealpuppets.com/design.html

My compliments to Mr. Hebert on a very fine column:

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/12/08/opinion/08herbert.html

Mr. Boko,
I was hoping you could put an image of a bull on your Festivus Pole to honor Mithras. And if you could dribble a little blood, that would be excellent.

Thank you.

Frostbitten, give us a warm place to sleep, and I'll do the mascot thing! Oh boy, PETTING ORGY!!

--- Wilbrod now.

Mascots tend to get kicked, pinched, etc by little kids because tend to want to show they're not fooled by the costume; they're not THAT little and stupid. So it's definitely hazardous duty :-p.

I found one for a bit over 1,000.
http://www.shop.com/Bloodhound_Dog_Mascot_Costume_-21342373-o!.shtml?trk=1&buy=9#tabs

Cassandra, if you wait for people to ask you your opinion, you'll have a long, long wait.
So step up and butt in. I know what you mean, though. Oh yeah.
Shoot, even my dog doesn't ask for my opinion.

Sorry Mr. Cocytus, I hope you won't think me bigotted but traditions involving blood sacrifice (real or symobolic) have always made me nausceous so there'll be neither bull, lamb, nor wail blood on my Festivus Pole.
Did you know that there is skating on the World Heritage Rideau Canal? You should visit, you'll feel right at home, bc.

The decorating hasn't gone smoothly. We got the fake tree mostly up when "S" noticed that the lights on one section weren't working. He took each bulb out, replacing it with a new one, replaced the little fuse, nada. While he did that, Ifolded two loads of laundry, took a shower, applied makeup and dried my hair. He has more patience than I do, he's a Virgo. Then we went to the store to try to find a new fake tree. Three stores later we came home empty handed and found some lights to put around the dark section as a fix for this Xmas. So now it's after 5, we are meeting friends for dinner at 7. The tree is undecorated, there are boxes all over the living room, "S" is in the shower and I'm way behind on my schedule for the day. Tomorrow will be busier than I had planned. Ah well, as my # 2 daughter often says at this time of year, "Merry Freakin' Christmas."

Good afternoon. No skating here, it is getting cold and damp and I think that ice will really come. Better start filling the buckets (no power means no water means no flush toilets without extra water to pour in -- too much information?).

I have two totally unrelated posts and for a change I'll split them.

First: I'm in the midst of cooking a pork & green chile stew. So far I have simmering in chicken stock sauteed onion (1 medium) & garlic (lots), pork chunks (formerly three thick-cut pork chops), two gold potatoes, a mess of roasted green chiles, with Goya seasoning with cumin & achiote & cilantro, plus salt, extra cumin & black pepper. Anyone have any suggestions for additions or should I leave it alone?

"it's after 5, we are meeting friends for dinner at 7. The tree is undecorated, there are boxes all over the living room, "S" is in the shower and I'm way behind on my schedule for the day