FiveThirtyEight.com: Electoral Projections Done Right: Sarah Palin Is Not a Hockey Mom.
This has been my favourite blog of this campaign year. It has had unparelleled ntelligent polling and commentary on the current political situation in the US. Â The guy behind the blog is Nate Silver of baseballprospectus.com fame. Â
In the comments from my last post, Joel asked what my take was on the stir that has been caused by an advertisement featuring the spanish national basketball team in which all fifteen squad members are shown making a “slit-eyed” gesture.
I found the following quotes from some of the squad members in an AP article:
The photo, which has been running as a newspaper spread in Spain since Friday, shows all 15 players making the gesture on a basketball court adorned with a Chinese dragon. The photo was part of a publicity campaign for team sponsor Seur, a Spanish courier company, and is being used only in Spain.
“It was something like supposed to be funny or something but never offensive in any way,” said Spain center Pau Gasol, who also plays for the Los Angeles Lakers. “I’m sorry if anybody thought or took it the wrong way and thought that it was offensive.”
Point guard Jose Manuel Calderon said the team was responding to a request from the photographer.
“We felt it was something appropriate, and that it would be interpreted as an affectionate gesture,” Calderon, who plays for NBA’s Toronto Raptors, wrote on his ElMundo.es blog. “Without a doubt, some … press didn’t see it that way.”
Not a lot that I can say about the opening ceremonies that hasn’t already been said. Â Very impressive. Â For me the archer lighting the Olympic Flame from across the stadium is still the number one opening ceremony moment.
I got up early on Saturday morning to see the men’s cycling road race.  The race came down to the last second and a Spaniard pipped in on the final sprint and won by a head. Very exciting. I could actually hear neighbors cheering along with me as Samuel Sánchez crossed the finish line.  I think you miss those sorts of manifestations of community when you live in a more rural society (like the United States).  When was the last time you heard your neighbor cheering on your country in the Olympics?
This is the first summer since 1992 when I have the two things necessary to really enjoy the Olympics. Â I have a television and I have time. Â
In 1996, I was in Portugal without a TV and working with several charities full-time as part of an international short-term team. Â The year 2000 found me in Madrid and recently married. Â Because the Olympics were in Australia, all the really good events were in the morning. Â I was working with YWAM then and they always kept me busy in the morning. Â In the summer of 2004 found Heather and I in Ibiza working with 24-7. Â We were living in the guest quarters of a house that had no TV. Â We spent most days with short-term teams engaged in various activities. Â And when you are in Ibiza for the summer, it really is a sin to sit inside and watch TV all day.
All that to say that this is probably the first summer in 16 years that I find myself anticipating the Olympics with an emotion verging on excitement. Â
And this guy is ready to lead the United States in the international arena? Â Either ignorance or a bold-faced lie engineered to deceive the American people.
Either way, this is bad news on two fronts: 1. CBS left McCain’s true response on the cutting floor when this sort of thing is clearly news-worthy. 2. McCain is running on a platform that purports him to be integrous and able to lead the U.S. on the world stage. Â His response shows the contrary on one or both counts. Â And this isn’t the first time he’s done this.
From where I sit, the Republicans are offering us more of the same.
And all this after I said I wasn’t going to talk politics.
I don’t talk politics on the blog very much and I probably won’t during these U.S. presidential (and congressional) elections. Â If you want to know what I think, email me.
I do, however, find “when Obama wins” very funny.