**UPDATE** Early Texas Primary Results: McCain Hates Laminate?!

I came home a different way, so here are some updated early Texas primary election results:

Clinton: 19*

Obama: 25

Paul: 4

Huckabee: 8

McCain: 0

*No, those aren't percentages they are actual votes.**

** Again, by "actual votes" I mean numbers of candidate propaganda stuck in the yards of houses I pass coming to and from my own.

Early Texas Primary Results: McCain Shut Out!!!

Here are some early Texas primary election results* coming out of the heart of Texas:

Clinton: 6

Obama: 12

Paul: 1

Huckabee 4

McCain 0

*"Election results" may more accurately reflect the number of candidate signs in yards while driving through the neighborhood on my way home than say, you know, actual votes cast.

The Myth of the Rational Candidate?

I have virtually no interest in politics.  No, thats not true . . . I have no faith in politics is probably more accurate and what interest I have is mostly generated by the trappings of the political process - call it anthropological interest.  This year is no different, with apologies to Mr. Obama, I am not hopeful and Tyler Cowen's statement that "its an election not a revolution" comes as close to summing up my own take on presidential elections (and politics in general) as anything else I've read this year (Bryan Caplan's Myth of the Rational Voter is another interesting read.)  So, all that to say that I really don't get very worked up about much that the candidates say as I really don't think it matters that much - which may sound like cynicism but I would argue that it is simply an honest recognition of how the rules of the game function, if you don't play by the rules you don't get elected and you can't fault candidates for playing by rules that we implicitly support and sanction.  However, Mr. McCain was in town yesterday and the local paper had this sound bite from his town hall meeting which caught my ear.

The fight against radical Islamic extremism was part of the “transcendent challenge of the 21st Century,” he said.

Does everyone believe this?  Is this true?  I must confess I heard it and I thought it was absurd.  Granted he said "part of" and not "THE" but "transcendent challenge of the 21st Century"?  Aren't there better candidates for that title?  Well, I'm glad you asked.  Yes.  Yes, there are.  And I'm going to make the case for some of them in the next few posts. 

Word of the Day

orthorexia:  or orthorexia nervosa is a term coined by Steven Bratman, a Colorodo MD, to denote an eating disorder characterized by a fixation on eating what the sufferer considers to be healthful food, which can ultimately lead to early death.

You can read more here and here.

Occasionally Music: Gillian Welch Covers a Multitude of Sins

I've always felt that I should like Radiohead more than I do given my age and social circles (point me out to me in a crowd and I would assume that I was a "Radiohead guy"), but truth is . . . .mmmah, its not really me.  I am however a pretty doting Gillian Welch fan and if Radiohead sounded like Gillian covering Radiohead then I would be an enormous Radiohead fan.  If you've ever been to one of Gillian's shows you know that she and partner David Rawlings are leading virtuosos in the fine art of covers and they are almost always guaranteed to pull out one or two gems in the midst of a set of their own stellar material.  Their cover of Radiohead's "Blackstar" is one of my favorites and this is a version I recently acquired which they did in New York while touring last year with Bright Eyes.  The trumpet accompaniment on the track is by Bright Eyes' Nick Walcott and it makes a lovely song even lovelier.  Enjoy. 

* Photo from their performance the night before, you know, just in case you've got continuity issues.  

Gillian Welch and David Rawlings (w/ Nick Walcott): Blackstar - Live at Town Hall, New York, June 1, 2007

HIV/AIDS Animation/Video Resources

This is a pretty good animation of the replication of the HIV virus - the voice over is a little medical lingo heavy but if you combo it with a more layman's explanation it could be useful (you can download it from the creators website here).  This, however, is still my favorite video to use with groups - its designed to use with kids/youth but its honestly about the right level of science talk for most adults and the format provides something a little lighthearted in the midst of a heavy discussion.  While we're on it this short Doctors Without Borders advert is another animation I use to intro discussions on the wide sweeping cultural, social and familial destruction HIV/AIDS is wrecking across most of sub-Saharan Africa.

Mmmm, I had tracked down a higher res downloadable version somewhere but I can't seem to find it . . . . I'll keep looking.