On Politics
Here are fact checks on the last 2012 presidential debate
Annenberg Fact Check
PolitFact
Washington Post Fact Checker
Associated Press
National Journal
By the way, Pulitzer Prizing winning PolitiFact issued two “Pants on Fire” false-statements ratings in the third debate.
A long-time friend of mine is a disrespectful, clueless, partisan hack. The other day he called, made a ridiculous comment, to which I responded, “Don’t go there.” He kept babbling, so I repeated, “Don’t go there.” Because he ignored my genuine request, I hung up the phone. We haven’t spoken since, I’ve “unfriended” him on Facebook, and I watch Caller ID on my phones.
I cannot justify any reason why law enforcement officials (sheriffs. prosecutors and judges) can run for office under a political party banner and/or endorsement.
The race for one of Ohio’s senate seats involves $30 million of outside-the-campaign money where donors do not have to be identified.
This is interesting: a scorecard of President Obama’s promises and a separate scorecard of promises by GOP Congressional leaders.
This is a wonderful 7-minute video about the Electoral College from CBS Sunday Morning.
On This Week’s Headlines from The Onion
- Thriving Onion Puts Another Print Edition Out of Business
- Town Hall Attendees Still Standing Patiently Waiting for Their Questions to be Answered
- Backup Spatula Always Ready to go in case the Unthinkable Happens
- Study: Human Imagination Capable of Magnificent Things during masturbation
- Trump Announces He is a Very Sad Man
Interesting Reads
- A photo gallery of recent solar flares
- Brain evolution linked to cooking
- News and deep space images of the Crab Nebula
- About Calls from Rachel at Card Services
- Why states are red and blue
- Interesting infographic about price comparisons
- Dr. John Walton, an Old Testament professor at Wheaton College, wrote a great book I reviewed here. He recently did a video series called Genesis through Ancient Eyes, which starts here.
On Potpourri
It’s World Series time. Anyone asking me about team I want to win, and I will answer, “The Reds.” The questioner will explain that the Reds aren’t playing as the series involves the Tigers and Giants, which leads to my answer, “Then I don’t care!”
Now that Blood of Nincompoop is off Dancing with the Stars, I am happily able to concentrate on watching the show.
With another milestone approaching, I wonder who will be the 100,000th visitor to my little corner of the world.
AFA’s Ginger Ale Report
Gosling’s Ginger Beer – On the sweet side, good ginger that lingers, a light cloudy color
Boylan’s Ginger Ale – Slightly better than the mass producers
Jamaica’s Finest Ginger Beer – Too spicy for my taste, but others may enjoy it
Gus Extra Dry Ginger Ale – Light taste all the way around with a pleasant aftertaste
There will be a Saturday Morning Classic Cartoon post this weekend.
Enjoy the music below of Lindsey Stirling. Have a good weekend! In the words of Garrison Keillor, Be well, do good work, and keep in touch.
A Frank Angle 
(balloons with the 100,000th? Congrats on reaching that mark.)
Thanks again for the ginger ale reviews – do appreciate that
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Mouse,
Just a small comment …. thus not the event for post 1,000. The ginger ale journey has been interesting. I may continue with a ginger ale playoff. Thanks for visiting.
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Hey, Frank, here’s my choice: Trump Announces He is a Very Sad Man How could I choose otherwise this week.
My sympathies on your friend. I have a brother like that. VERY opinionated (if you can believe that) but very nasty.
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Elyse,
The Donald sure loves to stay in the news. I wonder if it is because of his ego? Meanwhile, the rationale behind the nastiness is one thing that I find interesting. Oh well … let’s get on to a good weekend. Thanks for commenting.
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I hate it when others force me to listen to their political rants. When I’m around others I know are on the opposite side–so to speak–I try to keep my mouth shut. Sorry about your “friend,” Frank.
Hugs,
Kathy
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Kathy,
It this case, it was strange connection … that is connecting baseball, Cuba, and the president. That is just too off the wall. Otherwise, I’m with you. If you know you disagree with someone, don’t discuss it. Heck, that is not only a matter of sanity, but also respect. Thanks for sharing your wisdom!
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Normally I would list the Trump on as my fave Onion headline, but I think you mixed a REAL headline in by mistake! (Yeah, I know, it’s the “he admits it” that makes if fictional. 😉
I think we all know somebody with their head up their butt so far, they see daylight through their own nostrils. I had one who was a nice lady and a great singer, but would NOT let go of the whole “birth certificate” thing. We haven’t talked in over a year. C’est la vie.
Ya wanna do a road trip around Ohio? I’m collecting people who are so tired of this political BS, we’re gonna drive around and torch lawn signs. Unfortunately, too many potential fellow trippers keep babbling “arson” this and “destruction of private property” that…… 😀
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John,
I too thought about the Trump headline as true. Although he is sad, he would never admit it … thus The Onion’s scoop. Thanks for sharing your story about your friend. One has to wonder what is the deeper source of such hostility. Meanwhile, I’m be watching for you on the news. 😉
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dubstep violin!!!!! rocks!!!!!
So cool. Thanks so much for the great music find. Wow.
As usual you found some totally funny headlines.
The Trump announcement that he is sad was a total shocker!
Love the backup spatula. I keep one in my car for just such unexpected instances.
Town hall attendees still waiting for answers – aren’t we all?
Great stuff. The book on solar flares looks really interesting to me.
Have a good one.
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Mobius,
Wow … it seems that OITS Vol. 160 is going down as one of your all-time favs! 🙂 Because I try to cover a wide swath with these, I’m glad I hit the target! Meanwhile, long live the backup spatula! Thanks for stopping by.
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Am Vernors Ginger Ale all the way – more from a nostalgia appeal as it was my mother gave when I was child. Though I don’t think it has the same punch as it did then.
Sorry the ‘Reds’ didn’t make it the ‘show’, but on the bright side neither did the Yankees. So am root’n for Detroit for sticking it to the Bronx Bombers.
Oh, your having a election, that explains the glow and fog over Lake Erie; all the while I thought it was something else.
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Howl,
Of the high-volume ginger ales, I’m with you about Vernors. However, going through my little tasting adventure has yielded some gems! Then again, they aren’t easy to find. In the end, it’s a matter of personal taste.
I didn’t see any of last night’s game, but wow … Tigers already down 2-0. Meanwhile, I imagine Canadians are also eager for the US election to get out of the news! Thanks for stopping by.
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I dumped FB for various reasons but the main reason was the political shit that was being spewed. I feel freer and FRESHER now that I don’t have to conger up clever status updates anymore. Such a huge relief.
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Jules,
I understand your thoughts on FB … and congrats on feeling free. On my end, I must really say that the far majority of the stuff I see is nonpolitical … and if it is, it’s usually mild …. thus making the person I mentioned standout so much more … although my story involved a phone call. Thanks for sharing!
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I agree about Jamaica’s Finest ginger beer–it’s very spicy, way spicier than I prefer. Boylan’s isn’t bad at all, especially compared to Canada Dry. And Gus’s is nice too, a little on the mild side but very pleasant. As for the elections, I won’t even go there. It’s making my blood pressure rise every day.
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Weebs,
Ah ha … cheers to you for trying other ginger ales! As a whole, I didn’t like this batch as much as the other. Meanwhile, although I can’t wait for this election to be over, I sure as heck hope that neither party gets the idea to challenge something in the courts. Thanks for visiting.
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Saw a thing about if there is a tie on Electoral College, By going by states won Romney would win 29-21, and the vote goes to the House. BUT they do not have to vote for the winner of the state So lets say it is a tie 25 to 25 states, The total then would be declared a draw with no winner, So Who becomes President???/??????/–The answer is (Drum-roll) Speaker of the House Boehnor, then the VP goes to the Senate, Controlled by the Democratic Party so Biden would win, if that ends up a tie The President of the Senate casts the deciding vote, And that vote goes to the Vice President, I wonder who he would vote for, So we are looking at a possibility of either a Romney/Biden White House, or a Boehnor/Biden White House. (How about that Sportsfans?)
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Larry,
Although this election could result in neither getting a majority of electoral votes, I don’t see the House vote becoming a tie (and I know you didn’t suggest that). Meanwhile, every report I have heard has assumes the Senate vote selects Biden … whereas I say, not necessarily so. Oh well … I would rather have that process select the president & VP instead of the courts. Thanks for sharing the good scoop!
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electoral college vote tie? really? i’ve never heard even a discussion of that. but maybe i hang around with idiots. could be.
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Trumps hair is very sad hair. How have you been Frank? ^.^
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Squishy,
As one with style, I imagine seeing his hair causes you to cringe. As for me, life is good as I keep a fairly even keel. Thanks for asking and visiting!
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The CBS Electoral College video is good. Unlike the Electoral College itself which is a nonsense.
Time permitting I’ll be checking out the interesting reads later, they look …er interesting.
Re the Onions, while I liked “Trump Announces He is a Very Sad Man” (did he have to pay out his $5m bet?), I think my winner has to be “Backup Spatula Always Ready to go in case the Unthinkable Happens”. Hey, wait a minute, are these two headlines related???
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Fasab,
I stumbled across the CBS story, and wow … wonderfully done! It got me thinking, but the popular vote method also has issues. BTW, I saw a stat that 1960, Nixon campaigned in all 50 states … Kennedy in the mid-to-high 40s. Meanwhile, the backup spatula is one of those that gets to me! Thanks for commenting.
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🙂 I think I might file that backup spatula away, it might come in handy in the future.
I still can’t get my head around why you have to vote for somebody to vote for somebody for you, especially since there is no guarantee that the person you voted for will vote for the person you want them to vote for if other people voted for someone else. It seems “democracy” can be just whatever you want it to be.
Interesting stats re the 1960 campaign. I guess Kennedy didn’t need to bother in the states his pappy had already bought. 😉
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I’m not sure which of the states he didn’t visit. As I said, the popular vote has its faults as well.
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Hey, don’t get me wrong, I agree that the popular vote has its shortcomings. I just can’t see the advantages of such a convoluted system as this Electoral College business. I think the little kids in your video highlighted the problem pretty well.
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The CBS story absolute highlights the problem. I also like the interviews with the guy from Indiana and the clueless at the beginning.
BTW – I wonder if you were the one who rolled the stat counter?
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Moi? Not likely.
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I’m so sorry to hear of the falling out with your friend. It’s so sad to have a friendship end over things you can’t control anyway. I do love ginger beer and we used to have a ginger beer bug when I was growing up and we’d make our own ginger beer and it was so much fun xx
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Spiced,
I’m heading to a store today that has (at least used to have) an Aussie GB … so it may be mentioned next week. WOW … you are the first one I ever heard of making it!!! Hmmmm … wonder if I’ll venture into that.
Interestingly, I tossed out the story about my friend because there is more to the story. Nonetheless, regardless of my anger, it’s also sad. …
Hey … let’s go on toward a good weekend. Thanks for commenting.
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I love Jamaica’s Ginger Beer! Love it!
Favorite Onion, gad hate to admit it but well Human Imagination…cause I think it might be true!
Your picks this week, wonderful. Read your review on Dr. Walton’s book and it is now on my Wish List for the next time I am in at the book store, sounds interesting and up my alley.
The robo-calls, hate them and complain constantly!
Love love love the music! Thanks
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Val,
Because you enjoy the spicy ginger drinks, I\in OITS Vol. 158 I mentioned AJ Stephans Jamaican Style Ginger Beer … so be on the lookout for it.
http://www.ajstephans.com/
Regarding Rachel at Card Services, I’m going to file a complaint with every call I get.
If you don’t find Dr. Walton’s book in the stores, there’s always Amazon!
Not only cheers to your Onion pick, but to you for loyal trudge through this series. 🙂 Many thanks to you!!!
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Marvelous video! Love that acrobatic violin playing. I recently unfriended someone on FB, too. He was once a Libertarian, then he was a Liberal, then he was a moderate, and now he’s a right winger. I couldn’t keep up. And, frankly, it’s my FB page and I can dismiss whomever I want to.
A more believable, or at least apt, headline would be: Trump Announces He is Mad (as in nuts).
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SDS,
Interesting how the election impacts behaviors. But if Trump announced he’s nuts, we know that. Yet, we know he’s sad, which is something he wouldn’t say. 😉 Thanks for stopping by.
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Thanks! Your everything including the kitchen sink and the dishwasher “Opinions in the Shorts: Vol. 160” was just what I needed while sitting on my pins and needles. Also –
What! No Vernor’s on the AFA’s Ginger Ale Report!??
And now I know why states are red and blue.
Don’t get me started on Donald Trump . . . .
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Tim,
Regarding ginger ales/beers, the record shows that I have given brief reviews the last 3 OITS. Regarding Vernors, it’s the best of the big productions, but it seems to fall a bit short compared to some of the producers.
Don’t worry … Donald Trump is not worth much time and effort. Thanks for commenting.
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Spatula for me there Frank. Nice to see Ginger Ale featuring!
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Ginger,
OH my …. If I do a Ginger Ale Championships, I need to have you as the corporate sponsor! Meanwhile, the spatula is quite popular today! Thanks for stopping by.
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Trump–sad. Will he trademark the word so we all have to pay him when we say it?
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TBM,
Poor Donald. What he wouldn’t do for the spotlight! Thanks for sharing the thought.
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Blood of a Nincompoop is off “Dancing with the Stars”? I had no idea that Donald Trump was competing!
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Lame,
Nincompoop is reserved for a particular family, but not Trumps. A good name for The Donald could be TBP … The Big Pile.
Good to see you out and around … cartoon post tomorrow!
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TBP works for me Frank! Looking forward to what you come up with tomorrow.
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Thanks Lame! … hmmmm … I wonder if you were the one who causing the celebration?
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If it’s you launching another Saturday cartoon post, I might be guilty of that brouhaha.
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Nope …. you scroll down below this comment.
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Ah, you’ve reached your 100,000 page view milestone! Congratulations! I don’t think I was The One. You were something like 99,984 when I visited earlier … So close and yet so far.
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🙂
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Poor, poor, Donald. Just goes to show that money can’t buy happiness. No, I can’t stand ginger ale, so you may drink my bottle, Frank. Have a great weekend. 🙂
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Paradise,
Yep —- poor, poor Donald. 🙂 Meanwhile, you have been in Florida about a week. So, sick of the election yet?… and many thanks for your share of ginger ale. Thanks for visiting.
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We hardly watch the news at all. The weather channel is far more interesting at the moment. 🙂
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No kidding! … we’re shifting our view habits to avoid ads.
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$30 million to the campaign – this really upset me … and then there is people that can afford the medicine they need or care for the elderly. Frank I heard on the Danish news that Mr Trump had some revealing information that can throw the whole campaign – what was all that about ????? Never heard anything more.
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Viveka,
The $30 million is for just one senate campaign in one state … and I would say there are about 10 tough senate battles going on as well. By the way, the presidential campaigns, (both each party and outside money) will end up being between $3-4 billion! Yes … and what else could be done with it.
Meanwhile, Donald Trump was just being Donald Trump — that is, I’m not a fan. Thanks for commenting.
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PS: I wonder if you triggered the celebration? (See the comments below yours on the post)
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PS: I just heard a report that the presidential campaigns have spent $177 million on television ads in my state alone!
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It’s 3:00 pm (Eastern US time) … the the site counter just turned to 100,000! Thanks everyone!
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First of all, Frank, thank you for your reasonable and intelligent political discussions. I generally hate politics and the polemic that comes with it, but I always learn something important In your posts.
The video was great! Not only does she play beautifully, the video was shot and edited so creatively. The way in which the producer played with time, slowing it down and speeding it up, was fascinating since music is a time-based art form. Definitely one to bookmark!
Finally, another reason to have fun cooking in the kitchen – yea, brain power!
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Lynn,
When I discovered the violinist from another blogger, I knew it was a must use – so I appreciate you confirming the choice from various perspectives.
Thanks for the kind words regarding politics. Part of the tone is my nature … another is the following words from my first post, which I’ve tried to do: To readers I promise insight, yet will respect comments from others. I will be respectful to all as bashing is not my style, thus hope others are the same. Disagreement and criticism are fine, but it should be done with class. Other times I will simply provide information for readers to use.
Meanwhile, in this political season when it seems that disrespectful, partisan behaviors are at new levels is just the right time to maintain respectful dialogue …. which is something that more people need to do. But before they can do that, one must be able to differentiate right/wrong from agree/disagree.
Thanks for your comment … sorry for a bit of pontification.
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Trump Announces He is a Very Sad Man–I think so!! I’m sorry about your experience with a good friend. I understand. I’ve had a similar experience in a previous election cycle. I’ve bookmarked this post so I can work through the links. I really appreciate the work you do to be so well informed, and then to share. I mean that!
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Debra,
No kidding about Trump!
Thanks for the kind words. Everyone has opinions, and I try to respect that – although I occasionally get someone who touches a button with me. Nonetheless, to me, much of today’s problems are because of a lack of meaningful dialogue – then again, I wonder how many people are either capable of it or informed enough to do that. Oh well … Thanks again!
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My goodness you always do such thorough research for us Frank.
I love a good strong ginger beer but it’s been a long time since we were in Jamaica and tried “Jamaica’s Finest Ginger Beer” so I’ve forgotten what it tasted like. I must see if I can find it here.
I loved the music but not the video – no serious musician would ever play a violin in the rain…!
Sorry to hear the story about your friend. Interesting that he didn’t or couldnt shut up! A friend of mine “unfriended” me after I told her she shouldn’t be doing her son’s finances – he’s in his early 20’s and its about time he managed his student loan himself.
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Rosie,
Accuracy is something that I monitor. Then again, even accuracy is subject to everyone’s lens. I’ve reported on a couple of spicy gingers, so go back to the past 2 or 3 Opinions in the Shorts for other names. Meanwhile, life is what it is … but yes, no musician would play a violin in the rain. 🙂 Thanks for stopping by.
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Being a Cards fan, I always go with the National League team, because it is the league where real old fashioned baseball still lives. I despise the DH, and just about every innovation Bud Selig has brought to the game. Moving the Brewers for money to the NL was disgusting, so he could reap more Cubs fan money. The interleague things is cute, but if you draw weak opponents from the opposing leage, you can spike your win loss percentage. I liked the balance of the old days where everyone played everyone the same number of times depending on conference. And then the wild card crap. Even thought the Cards made it because of this warped innovation, soon the whole season will be meaningless like in the NBA. I would think you would feel the same being a Reds fan, a team that originated baseball. Oh yeah, they do not start the season anymore, another dumb Bud move.
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Randel,
I dare not count the ways Bud Selig causes me to cringe for there are far too many. Thanks for the reminders!
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Hi Frank – This Hurricane is very sad. I think we know who the next President will be. I’m wondering how they will address the election in light of the current, grave circumstances? Possibly something we’ve never seen before? Your thoughts?
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Airports,
Natural disasters are always sad, so many hearts go out to those in need.
Meanwhile, you ask an interesting regarding the election; however, you have an interesting premise that I don’t share as I have no idea who is going to win the election. Actually, my biggest worry is the possible court battle that could follow. Thanks for commenting.
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Love this: “Backup Spatula Always Ready to go in case the Unthinkable Happens” Now I know why I have more than one spatula.
I couldn’t enjoy the music because I was subjected to a political ad which propelled me back into Swing State Hell. (Here’s a link for what I mean: http://www.hulu.com/watch/420572#i0,p0,d1. I’m sorry to say you’ll probably be subjected to a political ad before you can watch it.) I’m kidding about not enjoying the music. I enjoyed it very much. I’ll be so glad when the political ads stop.
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Robin,
Gotta love Jon Steward … and “Swing State Hell” is very appropriate it. I see that the candidates today had 5 stops in Ohio. Meanwhile, cheers to the spatula! Thanks for commenting and sharing the video!
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