Told you so

When the polls preceeding the New Hampshire primary were way off (in a direction I didn't like), I cried conspiracy. Bart said maybe the polls were just wrong, but I wasn't buying it. Now that the South Carolina polls were just as wrong but in a way I like, am I crying conspiracy? Well, there may be a conspiracy, but I ain't crying about it, if you know what I mean.

Actually, I don't know. I don't know a lot of things. I don't know how South Carolina counts their votes; I'd guess it's the same way (or worse) that New Hampshire does. Bart's point may very well be correct. With the prevelance of unlisted cellphone numbers, it may not be possible for pollsters to get a representative sampling, rendering contemporary polling irrelevant. And I don't know what the outcome in New Hampshire will be. That "recount" stopped after recounting just 40% of the votes, and there's considerable evidence that the handling of the ballots was shoddy at best.

One thing that is clear though is that the state of electoral integrity in the U.S. is disgraceful. Looking at the New Hampshire recount, you see margins of error fluxtuating between 1 and 10%. That's just absurd. Everyday billions and billions of dollars are withdrawn, deposited, and counted in computer systems infinitely more complex than any ballot box, and there aren't errors between 1 and 10%. If there was, banks wouldn't use them. The U.S. doesn't even meet the Carter Center's baseline standards for free and fair elections.

Politically, I find myself in the strange situation of pulling for Obama but voting for Edwards, because I want to support his anti-corporate positions. There's talk that Edwards could be made attorney general. That wouldn't be bad.

Jokeville

To elaborate on my last post . . .

When Nicole and I started dating, she refered to her hometown as "Jokeville." When I first visited, I didn't understand. It's got a charming downtown with nice restaurants, coffeehouses, bars, and public library, seemingly the foundation a pleasant civic life. But having lived here a while, I get it.

Oakville is a nice town, once distinct from the greater Toronto area. Historically, it was once an end point in the Underground Railroad, as escaping slaves were smuggled to a local church in coffins. But now it's a suburb where Canadian yuppies go to raise kids or retire. In short, it's got no soul. None.

What I find really surprising is my absolute lack of desire to go to the nice restaurants or bars just blocks away from me. It's really illuminated my experience in New Orleans. That is, in New Orleans, I loved going to bars and restaurants in large part, because in doing so, I was connecting to something, the city's rich culture. It was a point of pride for me that, prior to leaving, when I walked in the Balcony Bar I was invariably greeted by several people who knew me by name.

I realize Toronto's culture will not be as rich as New Orleans', but I'm hoping there will be something there I want to be a part of.

Bored

Last night, I said to Nicole, "So is this what winter's like?" She said yes.

I was talking about being bored, which I am. The cold really inhibits outdoor activity. Besides, there's not much in Oakville I want to do anyway. Really nothing. Toronto is too far to go there with any regularity, too. So, as I said, I'm bored.

Ironically, being bored means having too much time on your hands, yet I neglect things I should keep up with like this blog. I'm counting on this boredom lifting once we've moved to Toronto in two weeks. It's got to! Meanwhile, I continue neglecting things like haircuts and shaving. Click here to see a recent picture of me.

Required reading

Here's a good article from Salon.com on how to drive in a more energy-effecient manner: How to get better gas mileage

It's a good summary with links to more specific information.

New Hampshire

Are you like me and the rest of the human race who were shocked this week to see Hillary Clinton win the New Hampshire primary? It's prompted some troubling questions about the integrity of the vote there, most notably that the Diebold voting machines which are used throughout New Hampshire are easily corruptible. Some think those machines were hacked by Republicans to give Hillary the win, simply because the GOP would prefer to face her than Obama or Edwards. I am one of them.

You can hear some really interesting and worthwhile discussion of this matter on the Stephanie Miller show.

Here Stephanie interviews Brad Friedman, a journalist who's been following the issue of the Diebold machines for some time.

Here Stephanie interviews Dennis Kucinich about his subsequent call for a recount in New Hampshire.

Raising this question raises the specter of conspiracy, a possibility which is all but verboten in our society. But as you listen to these interviews (and you really should), note how utterly reasonable what they're discussing is. If the possibility of criminal conspiracy cannot be considered, then that grants a license to commit criminal conspiracy to those so inclined.

FYI, I'm voting for Edwards, though Obama wouldn't be bad, and Hillary beats any of the circus freaks in the GOP. (I apologize to any circus freaks I may have offended.)

I know where this comes from!

For the longest time, I'd subconciously considered such images of snow a bit of hyperbole. Usually when I've seen snow, it looks like a small piece of cotton or a tuft of Eartha's belly hair. I'd assumed images like the one above were produced under laboratory conditions. Yesterday, that assumption was dispelled.

I was sitting in the library by a window. It was a sunny day, but outside there were small flakes drifting in the air. Sometimes the light would catch them just right, and the reflection made them glitter. And they were so small they didn't fall straight to the ground, as the tuft-like snow does. I guess if it wasn't freezing outside, it'd just constitute a fine mist. So as I made my way home, I found this snow hovering around me. In an instant, one drifted right by face, and I could see its fine, tiny crystal structure. Then it drifted away.

I know everyone from the North reading this will not be impressed. But noticing a beautiful, natural phenomenon for the first time is nice.

We've found a place!

After looking at several apartments, we've found one that really suits us. Actually, Nicole found it, and she did a great job of it. We move in on February first. Here's our new neighborhood:


View Larger Map

That's not our exact address. I don't want to post it on the web, but it's nearby. If you want my new mailing address, email me, and I'll send it to you.

Also, for the time being, you'll need to call us at the 289 number, not the 905 one.

Happy New Year!