PA Election Results

A little gloating, the final difference in PA looks to be between +9.2-10.0 for Clinton compared to my prediction of +8-9. Not bad! More importantly I was right on the money for it doing nothing but giving the Clinton campaign more reason not to quit yet not giving them any of the resources they need to win.

For the record here is the "Math" everyone is talking about. Assume that Hillary wins every remanning primary dramaticly (there are ten) by a whopping 20 points. She would still be behind 53 delegates -1830 to 1883. Then, her only hope is that the remaining 308 "super delegates" back her a full 64%. Then she hits the magic number of 2025. Of course, she is behind by 18 points in North Carolina polls, so she has some work to do in the next two weeks. 

Frankly, she started campaigning as if her life depended on it too late in the game and now every argument and route to victory is based on a combination of "ifs" and "ands." If Florida and Michigan counted. If the popular vote counted. If Obama implodes. If it were a Republican primary. If she had run harder in the small states. If the super delegates come out strong for Hilary. If you only count large/swing/primary states. If she can raise the money. And if only...

Thanks to CNN's magic delegate counter for all its help.

Update: John Stewart telling it like only he can. 

One year

Today, the class of 2009 started their clinical rotations. They were third years last week, and today they're fourth years.

Which means in exactly one year, I'll be a fourth year.

SCARY!

Heading to Montana

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First, congratulations to David for his fantastic and well deserved career advancement! Unfortunately it takes him westward to Montana for an unknown amount of time and we will sorely miss having him around. But we will be heading out there together in David's Pontiac following the route laid out above. Note that "driving" is a bit of a stretch through North Dakota! We plan on getting from St. Paul to the eastern edge of Montana on day 1, then the rest of the way on day 2. We will spend Saturday hanging around and then I get on the 24hr train early on Sunday through Glacier National Park, and arrive three blocks from home on Monday morning.

So lots of driving and lots of sitting, but I can't wait! Second weekend in May.

PA primary

Its a bit early to start predicting the outcome of Tuesdays Democratic primary in Pennsylvania, but the general consensus is that Hillary needs to win by 20+ to start really gaining on Obama, 10+ to keep going competitively, and anything approaching an Obama tie or victory would start a real crumbling of her campaign.

So, in the spirit of how this year has gone, I predict Hillary wins by 8-9 points and nothing changes. Just like nothing has changed for months now. Some day this primary will be over right?

Adventure time!

I have been wanting to share this for a long time. It is a short called "Adventure Time" by Pendleton Ward and created for Nickelodeon. I think it's Algebraic!

The Most Unwanted Music

I remember these paintings from the Dia center by Russian artists Vitaly Komar and Alex Melamid. Here is a short description for how they came across this idea

Upon emigrating to the United States in 1978, they searched for an American secular religion on par with Marxism, and found it in the psuedo-science of public opinion polling.

They are manifestations of the "Best" and "Worst" paintings as chosen by the public using a general survey. Yes that is George Washington. They show that if we get everything we want, or nothing we want, the end product is equally unsatisfying. What we really want to see is not some list of things together, but something that makes us feel something and want to talk to other people about it. Which of course does make this  a good piece of art, once you know why it was made.  

So when I heard of of these songs they made in 1997, I had to hear it. "The Most Wanted Song," (unavoidably and uncontrollably "liked" by 72 ± 12% of listeners) and the "The Most Unwanted Song" (Fewer than 200 individuals of the world's total population will enjoy this ). Of course after listening, I love the most Unwanted song (it is on right now) and I hated the most wanted song. I had to turn it off. Interesting that this is the opposite reaction that the paintings invoke. The popular one is interesting, and the unpopular one is flat. Where in music, the popular one is flat and the unpopular one is dynamic, and hilarious. 

Here is an article describing their work more. They come out of a post-soviet ironic movement that uses tools of mass popular appeal - and somehow making them wrong.

Tonight's Democratic debate

The winner in tonight's ABC Democratic debates? John McCain. It was really an appalling display of poor journalism and wall-to-wall  right-wing talking points. Gibson, Stephanopoulos and ABC news in general should be ashamed.

Topics asked: "Small-town" comments, Wright, Weather Underground, Flag-pin/patriotism, Gun control, Affirmative Action, How much should we bomb Iran, how fast should we cut-and-run from Iraq, a no new taxes oath, the capital gains tax, and why are you the most electable.

Things not asked: America in the world, heath care, recession, housing crisis, torture, the environment, education, Afganistan or veterans.

After it was over, the crowd was none too happy. "The crowd is turning on me!" joked Gibson. Sort of. 

Malibu!

Here are some slightly more flattering photos of little Malibu, taken out in the sunshine today...