September 22, 2004
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Garden State Haven’t mentioned a film in awhile. Saw this at the plex this weekend. Must recommend it for Endearingly Goofy Award 2004, plus being very smart and original. Zach Braff, who stars, is apparently a new whiz on the scene who also wrote the script and possibly directed – I don’t remember. It’s a lost-boy-who-goes-home-to-New-Jersey-for-a-funeral-and-gets-found-by-love story with laughing out loud AND tearing up moments. A small movie with a big heart. Won’t be in theaters much longer. (And guess what – New Jersey just went Kerry (see below).
Deep Thought: To me, truth is not some vague, foggy notion. Truth is real. And, at the same time, unreal. Fiction and fact and everything in between, plus some things I can’t remember, all rolled into one big “thing.” This is truth, to me.
Today I am grateful for: Technicolor
Guess the Movie: “He won’t come after me. He won’t. I can’t explain it. He would consider that….rude.”
Answer: Silence of the Lambs, 1991.
Winner: swawg
Today’s Polls: Kerry 269/Bush 253. Can you believe it??!! Here the tidbit from the EVP: The big news today is that Kerry is once again ahead in the electoral college by dint of his edging ahead in Florida (49% to 48%) and New Jersey (47% to 43% among RVs). However, these gains were partially offset by losses in Iowa and New Mexico. In Iowa, a new Gallup poll puts Bush ahead 48% to 43%. In New Mexico. a new Mason-Dixon poll taken Sep. 15-16 puts Bush ahead 47% to 43%, compared to Zogby’s Sept. 13-17 poll showing a Kerry lead of 54% to 42%. That is a 15% switch in a couple of days, far outside the MoE. Clearly there are serious methodological issues here. These issues far overshadow the MoE, which is why I don’t include the MoE in the spreadsheets. If one pollster is mostly sampling Democrats and another is mostly sampling Republicans, the MoE doesn’t mean a lot.
P.S. For those who eschew polls, I’ve been watching the Electoral Vote Predictor (see sidebar) precisely because whoever is doing that page seems to be taking everything into account about poll accuracy and also seems to have a liberal leaning. If you take the time to look at the page, you’ll see what I mean.
End of Day – 8:34 pm
+ = Completed a month of daily meditation today. It’s helping.
- = Dentist in the morning but it’s only an evaluation for surgery.
Comments (16)
those polls sure go all over the place, don’t they?
I need to see that movie.
Of course polls work like this: They call a randomly selected number in a pre-selected polling precinct. They already have an assumption of what that person will say. So where I live (which hasn’t voted for a Democrat for President since the guy who ran against Lincoln in 1864) if I answer the phone and say I’m for Kerry, that probably swings all of Michigan to Kerry (remember, if the poll says + or – 5% it means 400 phone calls, and that’s 400 whether it’s New Mexico, California, or the whole country. If it says + or – 4% it means 740 phone calls). This accounts for how different polls on the same day can have such radically different results.
i haven’t seen this film. i’m too homesick for nj to even think about seeing it right now. maybe after my visit in october, i’ll be less homesick. it’s no surprise that nj went kerry. they have a democratic governor (for at least a little while longer) and are quite happy w/claiming to be democratics. in fact, i think they usually go democratic, but i’d have to check to make sure… even when they had a republican gov, i think they usually vote democratic.
hey thats the kid from the show ED right?
I think it’s Scrubs, though I’ve never watched it.
OOOHHHOOOOHHHH!! Silence of the Lambs!
You’re the winner!
Of course, Mary Ann knew. That’s my girl!
Yes, he is from Scrubs, and he did direct it and write the script as well. I’ve been wanting to see that movie but I haven’t gotten around to it… for a teenager I don’t go see movies that often. I’m glad it won your approval, though!
BTW, I can’t believe you write so well and you’re still a teenager! You rock Firespider!
thanks for subscribing to my site. I saw Garden State too and loved it. I thought the ending was a bit too “Hollywood.” Overall though, the movie was refreshing. Did you see Napoleon Dynamite?
more power to Kerry!
It’s so hard to put trust in much of anything these days on the political scale, especially, but I do think polls serve an important purpose and I think exposing their method, if skewed, is important. Al Franken’s radio talk show was discussing this very question.
I am heartened to hear of Kerry’s numbers rising just the same. I believe it is possible for him to oust the Pretender’s claim this time and certainly defeat those who would tamper again with the electorate. This is my hope.
I agree with your thoughts on Truth. I do think Truth is very real. I have no claim to what is real, only what is real to me as Life passes through one experience to the next: ever expanding. Awareness and discernment are crucial, I think.
Peace~~
Just a reminder – the Deep Thought quotes are from Saturday Night Live’s John Handey and are meant to be funny.
Oops! I agree with the words anyway! Lol! Thanks for the reminder!
Blushing, but in good humour!
Aren’t they beautiful looking kids?