An Eclectic Mind

Interesting links for October 2008.

• McCain Campaign Again Blames Obama For Bailout Collapse While Calling For End To Fingerpointing
  More irony from McCain — and fodder for the Daily Show. On Talking Points Memo.
• Sarah Six-pack Needs To Put Country First by Stepping Down
  More calls for Palin to step down. This time, by Bob Cesca on the Huffington Post.
• McCain Says Bailout Bill Must Pass
  John McCain was interviewed by NPR’s Steve Inskeep today and said a number of things, including that he has turned to Sarah Palin for advice "many times in the past." Was that the past before he brought her on as his running mate? The past where he’d met her once and spoken to her on on the phone one other time? Or the past few weeks? Or is McCain just a really bad liar?
• McCain: I routinely turn to Palin for foreign policy advice.
  What a farce. McCain has got to be the worst liar on the face of the earth. Reported on Think Progress.
• Make-Believe Maverick
  A closer look at the life and career of John McCain reveals a disturbing record of recklessness and dishonesty. On RollingStone.com.
• Eastern Standard Tribe
  Here’s the download page for Cory Doctorow’s newest book, "Eastern Standard Tribe." Available in a wide variety of formats — including one I can read on my Palm Treo. Thanks!
• Biden and Palin face starkly different risks, expectations
  When Sen. Joe Biden and Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin face off in Thursday night’s vice presidential debate, each will be competing against a unique set of challenges, expectations and pitfalls. On TheHill.com.
• The Worst Sarah Palin Clip Yet
  While I think the commentator, Cenk Uygur, is a bit overbearing and takes too much time and effort to explain what’s going on in the clip — as if we’re all morons — the clip clearly shows two things: (1) Sarah Palin cannot answer a direct question with a direct answer and (2) Sarah Palin has no clue about Mideast political dynamics. At this point, I don’t understand how she can still be so clueless. Aren’t they teaching her anything?
• Palin doesn’t read – Couric 9/30
  Another YouTube video. This time, Palin can’t identify even one specific newspaper or magazine where she might read the news.
• McCain’s YouTube Problem Just Became a Nightmare
  From TheRealMcCain.com — a series of video clips where the Republican candidate contradicts himself repeatedly. Straight talk? Where? On YouTube.
• You may have to be British to find this funny, then again maybe not!!!!
  A message from the Queen. I found it funny. Sort of. On That British Woman.
• Hey Sarah Palin (with lyrics/subtitles)
  Last week, NPR did a story about candidate songs. This is one they missed. On YouTube.
• Sarah Palin Debate Flow Chart
  I’ll admit it: Sarah Palin did do much better at the debate than I expected. But then again, my expectations were extremely low. Could her relative success be due to this flow chart’s instructions? On Flickr.
• VP Debate: McCain’s Big Gamble Comes Up Snake Eyes
  A review of the vice presidential debate by Arianna Huffington on the Huffington Post.
• Tina Fey As Sarah Palin In VP Debate On SNL (VIDEO)
  Too damn funny for words. From Saturday Night Live, on the Huffington Post.
• Logic Puzzle Archives
  Holy cow. An archive of logic puzzles, complete with Flash-based solving tools. Who could ask for more? On PuzzlersParadise.
• An Atheist, Damned to Hell
  After my recent nasty post to religious fanatics, I couldn’t resist linking to this. On WeTheRobots.com.
• EcoDriving USA
  Learn more about how you can save fuel and reduce emissions while driving your own car.
• 100 Skills Every Man Should Know
  A list of skills men should know. Looks good to me. Now where can I find one of those men? On Popular Mechanics.
• FREE FOR ALL! the movie
  A full length movie about voting fraud in the U.S.
• What Bush Meant
  The lasting influence of the last eight years. In Esquire.
• Bill Maher Takes On Palin’s Debate Performance
  From Bill Maher’s most recent monologue. On the Huffington Post.
• Olbermann: Terrorists? It’s Palin doing the pallin’
  As usual, Keith Olbermann pulls out all the stops when he’s got something to say. In this case, he’s making it clear about what he thinks about Sarah Palin. Don’t touch the monitor while this video is playing. You might get burned by Keith’s anger. On msnbc.com.
• Keating Economics
  A 13-minute video published by the Obama campaign that exposes McCains involvement in the “Keating Five” savings-and-loan scandal of 1989-91.
• Ben Smith’s Blog: Keating, coming
  Some thoughts from Ben Smith about Obama’s advertisements to shed light on McCain’s involvement in the “Keating Five” savings-and-loan scandal of 1989-91. On Politico.com
• Seth’s Blog: Is effort a myth?
  Evidently, I’m not the only person who believes that you can get ahead by working hard. By Seth Godin.
• GrizzlyBay.org, Governor Sarah Palin information
  This is just too weird (and a bit gruesome) for words.
• The Palins’ un-American activities
  But they must be okay now because they’re wearing flag pins, right?
• The Truth About John McCain and Cindy McCain
  Links to a number of Phoenix New Times articles about the McCains.
• Alaska Panel Finds Sarah Palin Guilty of Douchiness
  Real news as reported by the folks at Comedy Central.
• Panel: Palin abused power in trooper case
  Like duh.
• The Man Behind the Whispers About Obama
  A good example of free speech gone back. Yes, we have the freedom to speak our minds and share our thoughts and opinions. But making false and negative statements is libel (if printed) or slander (if spoken). Clearly this man is guilty of both.
• Rage rising on the McCain campaign trail
  With recent polls showing Sen. Barack Obama’s lead increasing nationwide and in several GOP-leaning states, some Republicans attending John McCain-Sarah Palin campaign rallies are showing a new emotion: rage.
• Those With a Sense of History May Find It’s Time to Invest
  Things may not be as bad as many people think. Maybe instead of selling, you should be buying. In the New York Times.
• Op-Ed Columnist – Dear Old Golden Dog Days – NYTimes.com
  A brilliant use of sarcasm to make a point: the campaign has gotten very, very dirty. By Gail Collins in the New York Times.
• Palin’s Blown Opportunity on Energy Independence
  Another example of Palin promising one thing after failing to do it in the past. Talk is cheap.
• In Battleground Virginia, a Tale of Two Ground Games
  If John McCain is as serious as he says about running a "respectful" campaign against an opponent he considers "a decent person," word hasn’t yet trickled down to his newly opened storefront field office in Gainesville, Virginia. More examples of the McCain campaign wrongfully attacking Obama’s character instead of the policies.
• Hank Greenberg fights for his reputation as AIG is lost
  Interesting article about the AIG failure. On Money.CNN.com.
• Early Vote in North Carolina
  Watching this video (tweeted by @MikeTRose) really brings home the reason I want to vote for Barack Obama. He’s new, he’s fresh, he’s young. He DOES stand for change. Maybe he doesn’t have the most experience, but he’s got Joe Biden along to help. I think Obama CAN make a difference. And this video about registering to vote enforces that belief.
• 18 WordPress Plugins to add Professionalism to your Blog
  Pretty good list of WordPress plugins to add features to your blog. I’ll probably be trying a few of these shortly. On SpeckyBoy.com.
• In Defense of Piracy
  A discussion of how fair use is often confused with copyright violation in the creation of new material based on existing material. On the Wall Street Journal Web site.
• Lizzer: A Copyright/Hotlinking Disaster
  PlagiarismToday exposes the new Lizzer service as encouraging copyright infringement and allowing abuse of resources. Interesting reading for webmasters and bloggers interested in protecting content.
• W.
  Roger Ebert’s review of the new Oliver Stone movie, W.
• Getting handsy with the new MacBooks
  Great article about hands-on experience with the new MacBooks. On MacUser.com.
• PalinAsPresident.com
  The photo is disturbing, but when you click on various items, they move and make sounds and make you laugh. It would be funny if it weren’t so damn scary.
• The sentences of Sarah Palin, diagrammed.
  Diagramming Sarah: Can Palin’s sentences stand up to a grammarian? Learn the answer here. By Kitty Burns Florey in Slate Magazine.
• The Sidewalk to Nowhere, McCain Supporters in Bethlehem, PA
  This is probably the most upsetting YouTube video I’ve ever seen. It features my fellow countrymen acting like complete assholes. I fear for the future of my country. I’m not sure if I should thank @genias for sending me this in a tweet or curse him. Sometimes its better not to see stuff like this.
• ‘Lying’ About Being Liberal?
  A McCain-Palin ad twists Obama’s words. On FactCheck.org.
• McCain Holds Auditions for Angry Mob
  This would be extremely funny — if it could be proven untrue. On the Borowitz Report.
• Organization: Form an Attack Plan for a Cluttered, Messy Home
  Great article on LifeHacker with tips for getting rid of clutter.
• If candidates were phones…
  Very funny.
• Wassup 2008
  True Change. On YouTube.
• MediaShift . How ‘Follower Spam’ Infiltrated Twitter — and How to Stop It | PBS
  Excellent article about Twitter "follower spam," including what it is and how to stop it.
• Borderline Campaign Disorder: The "B" Hoax
  Dr. Alan J. Lipman’s analysis of the hoax — and its disturbed perpetrator.
• Colin Powell Endorses Obama
  Coverage in the Hufffington Post.
• Cursebird: What the f#@! is everyone swearing about?
  Cursebird is a real time feed of people swearing on Twitter. I wonder how many times I’ve made this feed? And really guys — aren’t there better things to do with your time than come up with shit like this? (Good thing I didn’t tweet that.)
• The Acorn Story
  More about ACORN. Apparently, Republicans hate when poor people vote. Editorial in the New York Times.
• Trader Drove Up Price of McCain ‘Stock’ in Online Market
  An internal investigation by the popular online market Intrade has revealed that a single investor’s purchases prompted “unusual” price swings that significantly boosted the prediction that Sen. John McCain will become president. On CQ Politics.
• For the last time: NO, Obama is NOT a Muslim
  It’s not often that I bookmark one of my own, but I feel so strongly that this should be read that I decided to link to it on Delicious. If you think Obama might be a Muslim, PLEASE read this.
• Talking Points Memo | Simply a Disgrace
  So now the taxpayer is footing the bill to investigate ACORN? Even David Inglesias doesn’t think that’s a good idea. On Talking Points Memo, with thanks to @miketrose for the tweeted link.
• Voter Fraud, Fraud
  The reality of ACORN. In the New Yorker.
• Partnership for a McCain-Free White House
  Talking to your parents about the risks of John McCain isn’t as difficult as you think. This video show how. Thanks to @BLG on Twitter for the link.
• Joe “the Plumber” Wurzelbacher related to Charles “the Crook” Keating. Oops.
  They probably should have considered "Bill the Plummer." On Martin Eisenstadt’s Blog.
• Palin’s Nightmare
  More fear-mongering by Sarah Palin. My question: does she really believe what she’s saying? If so, she’s certainly not fit to be in any office. By Scott Horton, Harper’s Magazine. Thanks to @MikeTRose for this tweeted link.
• Bateman: Sarah Palin is still yapping about Bill Ayers
  Subtitled commentary to another brilliant Palin interview question response. On Video Dog, Salon.com.
• Palin’s off-script comments irk McCain aides
  Sarah Palin is apparently trying to set herself up as the head of the GOP for future elections. This should be interesting.
• GOP clerk passes around Obama ‘black Hitler’ claim
  The Republican hate machine, caught in action. On the Associated Press Web site.
• A Marginalized Party
  A revelation by a Daily Kos contributor: McCain doesn’t need to be tied to Bush — he sucks on his own.
• FOX is the Ashley Todd Villian: Fire Moody
  Talking Points Memo says what we’ve all been thinking: FOX Executive Vice President Moody’s comments about Ashley Todd reek of racism.
• Bush, Boehner Want DOJ to Look Into Ohio Voting – Roll Call
  More dirty politics. Bush & Co. are trying to get 200,000 Ohio voters to vote on provisional ballots because their names don’t exactly match state lists. This action could potentially lead to 200,000 votes not counted in this battleground state.
• Obama for president: Opinion
  An opinion piece in the Anchorage Daily News clearly endorses Obama, despite Palin’s status in the state of Alaska.
• McCain Communications Director Gave Reporters Incendiary Version Of “Carved B” Story Before Facts Were Known
  They must have thought this lunatic, lying woman was a Godsend. I guess it’s okay to push a story that’s in your favor BEFORE you check the facts. On Talking Points Memo.
• Pennsylvania GOP disavows inflammatory e-mail
  The question remains: how low will they go to bash Barack Obama? On Talking Points Memo.
• Palin’s ‘going rogue,’ McCain aide says
  The hell with the election and her running mate. Sarah Palin is evidently looking out for number one. On CNN.com.
• CNN Rick Sanchez Catches McCain Spokesman Mike Goldfarb Lying
  Is everyone on McCain’s campaign a jerk and a liar? On YouTube. Thanks to @MikeTRose for tweeting this.
• Joe the no show
  Personally, I can’t believe the McCain campaign is so desperate that they have to use this human prop at rallies. It doesn’t surprise me in the least that they got their signals crossed. On CNN.com. Thanks to @saxdiva for the tweeted link.
• Campaign Sign Of The Day
  Even Rednecks want Obama. This sign can be found on Andrew Sullivan’s Atlantic pages. (True story: Just the other day, a NASCAR-jacketed redneck in Page, AZ told us, "I’m votin’ for the [N-word]." I can’t make this stuff up.)
• John McCain, in His Own Words
  A tasteful political attack ad. Thanks to @jwesley for tweeting the link.
• 10 Traits Of A Successful Human Being
  Excellent article listing the traits you need to succeed. On PickTheBrain.com.
• Exxon breaks record for profit, yet again
  Who makes the oil companies rich? The people who buy their products. On CNN.com.
• Find Out How Much the Obama Tax Cut Will Save You
  A very simple calculator to give you a rough estimate of how the two candidates tax plans will benefit you. On The Long View.
• Fox’s Shepard Smith Forced To Offer Disclaimer After Joe The Plumber Interview
  Joe The Plumber was out on the trail with John McCain today, apparently giving the thumbs up to someone in the crowd who felt that an Obama Presidency would bring about the end of Israel. Good think this farce is due to end in less than a week.
• Palin Suggests Obama Would Re-Write Constitution
  I ask again: Does Palin actually BELIEVE the stuff she says or is she just so desperate to be VP that she’ll lie to the American people? Either way, she looks bad. On ABC News.
• Charles Meets Barack
  When his voice broke, my tears started. On YouTube.

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