Duck-Billed Catechist

http://www.fivethirtyeight.com/2008/10/tra...oll-primer.html Pretty interesting write-up on the merits of different polling firms.

Any more confusing than Ray Allen and Allan Ray being on the same NBA team? Or Roy Williams and Roy Williams?

Sounds good.

Polling after the 2004 campaign inidicated that the most salient issue was that voters did not want to change administrations in the middle of a war. Historically, that's been true as well. Not really sure that Kerry "should have" won by any margin. We will find out how well each side's campaign is run on election day. Supposedly Obama's GOTV strategy is superior. I think it's very rare that you will see either side "running away" with any presidential election (in terms of polular vote) for many years. The country is very evenly split.

Well, he has a ~5 point lead right now. Wouldn't call that huge. He is looking good in the battleground states. http://www.fivethirtyeight.com/2008/10/on-...ia-suburbs.html

That Vikings punter is an idiot and/or has terrible instincts.

I just thought it was standard campaign speak, is all. A line from the script for the underdog.

Out of all the things McCain has said, you take issue with this? What is he supposed to say? Why would saying "I like being the underdog" make you think that he needs therapy?

Anyone who knows a lot about this stuff know if that's a sample size issue? If you take the median, the Republicans look better than the Dems.

That is actually a white pride-type board. Not a joke. I wouldn't browse there much unless you want a headache. Probably not fair to compare active, up-front white supremacists with rank and file McCain supporters.

My parents always taught me that Santa Claus was a nice story, but not true. I still got presents from Santa. Just wanted to toss that out there.

Players vote. It's almost certain that they would vote for someone who spent half the season with the team and was a big contributor. He might also get a partial playoff $ share.

Well, it's income, but expenses are written off, yes? So it's effectively profit, eh?

Different, but related. First, FWIW, and ACORN fact sheet: http://scienceblogs.com/dispatches/2008/10...and_alleged.php I honestly know very little about ACORN. From what I little I know about such operations (Kate worked for ACT and with SEIU one summer), it rings true.

Time to open your own!

I just incorporated Joe the Plumber in Nevada, omg.

My credit union is part of 2 or 3 networks of banks that mutually offer free ATM withdrawals or deposits. It's saweet. Edit: Said Ann Arbor CU also seems to part of one http://www.co-opfs.org/public/locators/atmlocator/index.cfm , check there to see if there are any nearby.

http://cuna.org/newsnow/08/wash101308-1.html I

"Yes"

He's not a working man's plumber because his business is too profitable . I would say (knowing nothing about anything) that it seems somewhat unlikely that a 2 man plumbing operation takes in $250,000 in profit. I guess his plan was to expand, hire more staff, and eventually make that much.

So his shirt seems to say Newell Plumbing. http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=%...mp;aq=f&oq=

Why would he be in the yellowpages if he doesn't own the business?

Yeah, there was a Palin bounce and then the burst of the Palin bubble. I'm not sure that I buy this "hasn't closed the deal" business. I kept reading it during the primary. What would closing the deal mean, exactly? A 10 point lead? Really, no one closes the deal till election day.

I don't think I have a copy of it on mp3 anymore.