[QUOTE=kladner;316390]About two years ago I drove from Chicago to various points in Texas. My route took me across Illinois, Missouri, Oklahoma, and Texas. The further I got from Chicago the more virulent the messages on church sign boards became. I found myself quoting Monte Python, " 'elp 'elp, oim bein' oppressed!", just seeing them.[/QUOTE]

[url=http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0085959/quotes]Chaplain[/url]: [i][singing][/i]
Oh Lord, please don't burn us/
Don't grill or toast your flock/
Don't put us on the barbecue/
Or simmer us in stock/
Don't braise or bake or boil us/
Or stir-fry us in a wok/
Oh please don't lightly poach us/
Or baste us with hot fat/
Don't fricassee or roast us/
Or boil us in a vat/
And please don't stick thy servants Lord/
In a Rotiss-o-mat.

By happenstance, "The Meaning of Life" came across the cable a couple of nights ago. My partner can never resist such an enticement, so I just heard that inspiring ditty.

[url]http://news.yahoo.com/why-hurricane-sandy-might-cost-obama-the-popular-vote-but-not-the-presidency-1030125687.html[/url]

Retired NSA Analyst Proves GOP Is Stealing Elections Part I
 

[URL]http://readersupportednews.org/news-section2/318-66/14223-retired-nsa-analyst-proves-gop-is-stealing-elections-part-i[/URL]

EDIT: Submitted for your consideration.

[QUOTE=Xyzzy;316490][url]http://news.yahoo.com/why-hurricane-sandy-might-cost-obama-the-popular-vote-but-not-the-presidency-1030125687.html[/url][/QUOTE][QUOTE]For another, the chaos that enveloped Florida back in 2000 might extend to every state if the popular vote was as close as it was in 1960, 1968, and 2000 (and as it may well be this time). Instead of lawyers and operatives descending on Florida, they might be loaded onto C-130s and parachuted into every state where disputes arose.[/QUOTE]Loading the lawyers with C4 might be a more Shakespearian solution. I kid. I once told a cop that cops were like lawyers in that when you want one, you [I]really[/I] want one. I once sat holding a Gerry-rigged bimetal thermocouple on a wing of KC-135 in an aircraft hanger of a airforce base while the engines were rev'd up and down in my more effective era. No laywers were queued up for missions though.

[QUOTE=only_human;316499]Loading the lawyers with C4 might be a more Shakespearian solution. I kid. I once told a cop that cops were like lawyers in that when you want one, you [I]really[/I] want one. I once sat holding a Gerry-rigged bimetal thermocouple on a wing of KC-135 in an aircraft hanger of a airforce base while the engines were rev'd up and down in my more effective era. No laywers were queued up for missions though.[/QUOTE]It has been seriously proposed that the very first flight of an aircraft physically large enough to carry them should be loaded with the engineers, hardware and software, who designed and implemented it. Might focus minds more clearly in future.

[QUOTE]If I'm interpreting that statement correctly... [URL="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Genetic_diversity#Coping_with_poor_genetic_diversity"]cheetahs[/URL].[/QUOTE]"Cheetahs on the Edge", National Geographic, November 2012.

Page 125 has an interesting article called "Return to the Arkansas Delta".

[QUOTE=Xyzzy;316490][url]http://news.yahoo.com/why-hurricane-sandy-might-cost-obama-the-popular-vote-but-not-the-presidency-1030125687.html[/url][/QUOTE]

On the flip side of the argument, and with an actual descriptive link title for the benefit of the readership (your Yahoo link in its entirety is fairly descriptive, but the vB rendering shortens the displayed link into obscurity):

[url=http://globaleconomicanalysis.blogspot.com/2012/10/governor-chris-christie-praises-obama.html]Governor Chris Christie Strongly Praises Obama's Response to Sandy; Could Christie's Comments Tip the Election?[/url]

Aside: As I said to a friend this morning, Chris Christie is about 100 lbs (body weight, not UK currency) from being viable presidential-candidacy material. I'm not sure why that should be so, or if it's indicative of mere looks-based shallowness, but it's been a long time since the American electorate seriously looked at a fat man. Which is interesting, because said electorate taken on average looks a lot more like William Howard Taft and Grover Cleveland than it did back in Taft and Cleveland's day.

Couple of aside-related links - I LOLed at the second article's apparently inadvertent usage of "he has enough on his plate" in the intro:

[url]http://www.forbes.com/sites/erikkain/2011/09/28/a-history-of-fat-presidents/[/url]

[url]http://www.ibtimes.com/fat-chance-could-chris-christie-ever-become-president-302121[/url]

I'm hearing now that the final result may go past Nov 6th by a few weeks and Minnesota is in the mix for swing states now still means obama could win in 3 states out of 11 now. and Romney needs at least 4 of the top 5 still for easiest way to win.

[QUOTE] Polls are neither liberal nor conservative. Mathematics takes no side in the minor struggles of mortal tribes.[/QUOTE] tweeted by Nate Silver a few minutes ago.

Polls can of course be biased, which is part of Silver's schtick, being able to gauge bias and correct for it. But it's a noble sentiment none-the-less.

[QUOTE=chappy;316825]Polls can of course be biased, which is part of Silver's schtick, being able to gauge bias and correct for it.[/QUOTE]

Isn't this (supposed to be) the whole point of economics?

Interestingly, Isaac Asimov talked about "psychohistory" more than 50 years ago.