Explaining This Election

This is post for my international readers, though it may be interesting to one or two others (i.e. my entire readership). The President of the United States is not elected by popular vote, rather he is elected by the US Electoral College with its 538 electors. These electors come from the states and the District of Columbia.

The Economist developed this video to explain the electoral process, beginning in June of this year. The leaning of the state (based on polling data) for a candidate’s party affiliation is indicated by color, red for republican (McCain) and blue for democrat (Obama).

Now, for a different take, look at this, 7-11 coffee drinkers are totally in the cups for Obama.

Fact Trumps Fiction, Again

Amazing. This from the Onion over fifteen years ago.

In case you’ve not been following, Samuel Wurzelbacher (a/k/a Joe the Plumber and registered Republican) has become a celebrity. He has now hired a publicist for his burgeoning musical career, though he’s not an accomplished musician or songwriter…

Or a licensed plumber. Or a person named Joe.

And he’s considering running for congress. He is now more of a draw than John McCain to political rallies.

Here’s what Dick Cavett says in his NY Times column about Wurzelbacher:

This unfunny Ralph Kramden … seems to have effortlessly captured the imagination of those without much of it to spare. What will history make of this until-recently anonymous figure who has been elevated by the McCain forces to the level of a Cultural Icon, whose every utterance is treated as if from on high?

As Mark Twain said, “Truth is stranger than fiction, but it is because fiction is obliged to stick to possibilities, truth isn’t.” The Onion story was funny in 1993 because it was thought to be improbable.

Happy NaNoWriMo

Happy NaNoWriMo everyone. National Novel Writing Month starts November 1. It’s a great idea. Write a 50,000 word novella novel in thirty days.  I’m not going to do it even though it’s a great way to switch off the inner critic (because it’s all about the numbers) and just write. As the NaNoWriMo folks say,

“Make no mistake: You will be writing a lot of crap. And that’s a good
thing. By forcing yourself to write so intensely, you are giving
yourself permission to make mistakes. To forgo the endless tweaking and
editing and just create. To build without tearing down.“

It’s similar to Eric Witchey’s advice to practice speed writing.

Ain’t nothing to it but to do it. So, if you’re thinking about doing it, here are some interesting links that I’ve come across:

  1. Paperback Writer. Lynne Viehl  offers Twenty Bits of Advice from a Pro for the New NaNo’er (plus links)
  2. The Plot Whisperer. NaNoWriMo Martha Alderson wonders if you’re a “pantser” or a “plotter.”
  3. Word Strumpet, Charlotte Rains Dixon, MFA, offers Top 5 Ways to Prepare for Nanowrimo

Creating Book Buzz

One of the tenets of selling books is the need for word of mouth. Thomas Nelson publishing has come up with one way to create that buzz about a book–give books away. Bloggers can receive free copies of select Thomas Nelson products. Their stipulation is that, in exchange, you must agree to read the book and post a 200-word review, good, bad, or ugly, on your blog and on Amazon.com.

Their market niche is (in alphabetical order):

  • Bibles
  • Biblical Reference
  • Business & Culture
  • Children’s
  • Family Entertainment
  • Fiction
  • General Interest & Lifestyle
  • Gift Books
  • Practical Living
  • Small Group Curriculum
  • Spanish
  • Spiritual Growth & Christian Thought
  • Young Adult

Michael Hyatt, President and CEO of Thomas Nelson Publishers, goal is to “recruit 10,000 active bloggers … use the reviews to jump-start the most important component of any marketing campaign: word-of-mouth.” For more information got to his website, From Where I Sit, for more details.

A Not So Lame Contest

Jeffrey Goldberg over at the Atlantic magazine is having a writing contest. Winner gets a subscription to the Atlantic.

You may recall a posting of mine the other day, I noted  an article titled, The Things He Carried, written by Jeffrey Goldberg.

Goldberg contends that the Transportation Security Administration is concerned with catching the lowest of the low hanging fruit when it comes to potential terrorists. He calls this the Hawley Principle, named for the head of the TSA, Kip Hawley. Goldberg offers Hawsley’s own words as evidence ( from the TSA’s blog):

Clever terrorists can use innovative ways to exploit vulnerabilities. But don’t forget that most bombers are not, in fact, clever. Living bomb-makers are usually clever, but the person agreeing to carry it may not be super smart. Even if “all” we do is stop dumb terrorists, we are reducing risk.

Goldberg wonders if other bureaucracies could use the same logic for their mission. Go here to New Contest: Can You Out-Lame the TSA? for more details about the contest.

Mephistophelian?

Look, selling books is a business. No different from selling cars.

Novel Adventures may simply be another way to place a product, in this case, Saturn cars, it looks like fun and may get people reading.

Daphne Zuniga stars in the webisodes. Four female friends will take off on adventures inspired by classic novels. They drive Saturns (natch). The first episode will air November 3. The friends go deep-sea fishing.

According to Yahoo News,

“[e]ach of the eight episodes in the order will be presented for a 48-hour window on CBS.com, TheInsider.com and TV.com and then roll out across the CBS Audience Network. The series was created by Jonathan Prince, whose credits include A&E’s “The Cleaner” and CBS’ “Cane.”

After which, the episodes will be broadcasted in the entire CBS Audience Network, including AOL and Yahoo!

Mediaweek says,

“CBS will encourage viewers of Novel Adventures to participate in online discussions following each episode, as well as parallel discussions on the books which are featured in the show.”

Examiner.com has a good write-up here.

Watch CBS Videos Online

Cassius, is that an ides of March in your pocket or are you just happy to see me?

Why wasn’t I taught this in high school?

I may come to enjoy Shakespeare. Finally, a book about what we all think about constantly, namely sex. At least most guys do, Lexi Revellian on her blog differs a bit with this in Men and women, sex and writing…

… men appear entranced by the mechanics … while women’s interest is more romantic and diffuse. Women will go for quality … conversation and emotion are an important part of the picture.

Nevertheless, “Filthy Shakespeare: Shakespeare’s Most Outrageous Sexual Puns,” is written by a bona fide British Shakespeare expert, Pauline Kiernan.

According to the NY Times Paper Cuts blog.

[The book is] handily arranged by body part and sexual proclivity, with an appendix featuring an impressive variety of “pun words” for male and female genitalia…

Culture seems more accessible now.