tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5730391.post601264361030708273..comments2024-03-29T04:50:38.638-07:00Comments on Blaine's Puzzle Blog: NPR Sunday Puzzle (Oct 28, 2018): One Singular SensationBlainehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06379274325110866036noreply@blogger.comBlogger143125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5730391.post-91421957090718900702018-11-04T07:58:24.186-08:002018-11-04T07:58:24.186-08:00Better late than never movie clue for 10/28 puzzle...Better late than never movie clue for 10/28 puzzle<br />Priscilla, Queen of the Desert.Lizhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12107070298786750345noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5730391.post-58579544544238037182018-11-04T05:33:36.759-08:002018-11-04T05:33:36.759-08:00This puzzle reminds me of one from the not-so-dist...This puzzle reminds me of one from the not-so-distant past. --Margaret G.Unknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00300548354365201244noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5730391.post-460705565845781962018-11-04T05:09:25.967-08:002018-11-04T05:09:25.967-08:00It would be hard to top this puzzle.
It would be hard to top this puzzle.<br />SuperZeehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08024610786525654860noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5730391.post-39750946964938556492018-11-04T05:01:18.966-08:002018-11-04T05:01:18.966-08:00This week's challenge: This challenge comes fr...This week's challenge: This challenge comes from listener Dominick Talvacchio of Chicago. Think of an article of apparel in eight letters. Drop the last 2 letters. Move what are the now the last 2 letters to the front. You'll get an article of apparel in 6 letters. What is it?janhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05927176621372532733noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5730391.post-46073158388948416242018-11-03T12:29:21.625-07:002018-11-03T12:29:21.625-07:00For a consensus study report on this topic from th...For a consensus study report on this topic from the National Academies of Science, Engineering and Medicine, see <a href="https://www.nap.edu/catalog/25120/securing-the-vote-protecting-american-democracy" rel="nofollow">Securing the Vote: Protecting American Democracy (2018)</a>.janhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05927176621372532733noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5730391.post-33081340250745454782018-11-03T11:00:46.876-07:002018-11-03T11:00:46.876-07:00Seven of nine Internet searches use Google, so, ye...Seven of nine Internet searches use Google, so, yeah, sounds about right...janhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05927176621372532733noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5730391.post-30481202912964855842018-11-03T09:56:07.419-07:002018-11-03T09:56:07.419-07:00Resistance is futile!<b><b><a href="https://searchengineland.com/figz/wp-content/seloads/2010/11/Borgle.jpg" rel="nofollow">Resistance is futile!</a></b></b>ecoarchitecthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02824602705492756728noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5730391.post-54047486586700214082018-11-03T02:04:56.187-07:002018-11-03T02:04:56.187-07:00It troubles me that I'm not as Googlephobic as...It troubles me that I'm not as Googlephobic as I apparently ought to be.Paulhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11114786604125384958noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5730391.post-5566338356329723872018-11-02T19:49:45.689-07:002018-11-02T19:49:45.689-07:00For the last Primary vote in our county, they went...For the last Primary vote in our county, they went to a new electronic voting machine. It seemed OK except for a software problem that caused <i>EXTREMELY</i> slow reporting speeds. One ray of hope though, was that it printed out a copy of your cast ballot that you must review. It seems a little odd, though, that we have to turn it back in for the vote to be tallied. I'd like to have some way to verify that it is actually counted.<br />The big test will be this Tuesday, to see how fast the results are totalled & reported.<br /> We also have early voting and my wife and I voted last week. I would like to know how many other people have already voted, making the latest TV ads a waste of my time and their money.<br /><br />68Chargerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08752278586155221236noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5730391.post-49996835977084807432018-11-02T18:05:31.470-07:002018-11-02T18:05:31.470-07:00Do not ever use GOOGLE. Use duckduckgo.com or sta...Do not ever use GOOGLE. Use <a href="https://duckduckgo.com/" rel="nofollow"><b><b><b>duckduckgo.com</b></b></b></a> or <a href="https://www.startpage.com/" rel="nofollow"><b><b><b>startpage.com</b></b></b></a>, but <b><b>NOT</b></b> google.ronhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07302749761931016101noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5730391.post-12208628755869619372018-11-02T18:03:36.216-07:002018-11-02T18:03:36.216-07:00In Russia they still use voting booths with doors ...In Russia they still use voting booths with doors so they are completely enclosed. When the voter pulls the lever for Putin he hears his vote being registered. If he votes for the opposition candidate he hears the cyanide tablet dropping into the solution as the door locks.skydiveboyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17174073226290431753noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5730391.post-32246376645451377752018-11-02T17:49:44.785-07:002018-11-02T17:49:44.785-07:00But Jan, you're in New Jersey, what could poss...But Jan, you're in New Jersey, what could possibly go wrong?<br /><br />We have paper ballots, you draw a line to connect two arrows, which is a little weird. The numerous ballot pages get fed into a tabulating machine; we get no receipt (other than a tear-off edge) or printout, but at least the bin holds real paper. I think the machine barfs out your ballot if you've voted for two candidates for the same position, but not if you don't vote on an item.<br /><br />I think they also have electronic machines for visually or physically impaired. Or those that really hate drawing!<br /><br />We also have ranked choice for local elections, but state wide positions are now the top two vote recipients from the primary.ecoarchitecthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02824602705492756728noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5730391.post-61442201923591009102018-11-02T17:33:04.026-07:002018-11-02T17:33:04.026-07:00No move to paper ballot as far as I know.
I'm...No move to paper ballot as far as I know.<br /><br />I'm in NJ's 11th Congressional District, which has been owned since 1995 by the useless Rodney Frelinghuysen. After Trump's election, the backlash was fierce enough that Rodney announced his retirement. At the moment, Democrat Mikie Sherrill, a former Navy helicopter pilot and federal prosecutor, is leading Republican Jay Webber in the polls. But my favorite lawn signs belong to an independent, Robert Crook. He has no chance, of course, but I find "Crook for Congress" refreshingly honest.janhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05927176621372532733noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5730391.post-20716785187715575322018-11-02T17:21:57.457-07:002018-11-02T17:21:57.457-07:00jan, is there a move to a paper ballot in NJ in th...jan, is there a move to a paper ballot in NJ in the works? I like that I can take a few hours to study the issues, mark my ballot, and drop it off with email confirmation that it arrived.<br /><br /><<br />^<br />^<br />^This year’s ballot was 6 four-fold pages of amendments and propositions, in addition to all the political seats and judges.<br /><br />Word Womanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15491300694641304112noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5730391.post-10531267430929760052018-11-02T16:51:46.090-07:002018-11-02T16:51:46.090-07:00Mama Mia! I've never heard of "Mamma Mia...Mama Mia! I've never heard of "Mamma Mia" and I just mow played the song by ABBA and I've never heard it either.<br />Mammalia came to mind in my first run through the back half of the puzzle, but it did me no good.Mendo Jimhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06481821676197739907noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5730391.post-59464966533615655892018-11-02T16:49:10.186-07:002018-11-02T16:49:10.186-07:00I think you can obtain those machines at Christie&...I think you can obtain those machines at Christie's.skydiveboyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17174073226290431753noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5730391.post-73510569907247516292018-11-02T16:45:54.723-07:002018-11-02T16:45:54.723-07:00In NJ, we have electronic voting machines with no ...In NJ, we have electronic voting machines with no receipt, nor even any display verification of whom your votes were cast for. You push buttons for your candidates, which causes lights next to the names to light, but once you hit the CAST VOTE button, everything goes dark, and you must take it on faith that your vote was properly recorded.janhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05927176621372532733noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5730391.post-29480156078961144382018-11-02T16:30:38.840-07:002018-11-02T16:30:38.840-07:00My clues -“Though I consider this a bad puzzle. Ca...My clues -“Though I consider this a bad puzzle. Can’t wait to see who the on-air winner is this week.”. ‘A bad” was clue for abba. Reference to on air winner was for ABBA hit The Winner Takes It All. Snipperhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13756899374006781682noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5730391.post-1379537023310015572018-11-02T16:05:09.860-07:002018-11-02T16:05:09.860-07:00jan, I would vote for that ticket in a heartbeat, ...jan, I would vote for that ticket in a heartbeat, with either one in the top spot.<br /><br />eco, very disturbing warning from the NAACP about voting in Texas. We have all paper ballots by mail or ballot box so they can be easily rechecked. A paper trail is a must.Word Womanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15491300694641304112noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5730391.post-21291656716547072452018-11-02T15:58:54.270-07:002018-11-02T15:58:54.270-07:00It's those little knives, don't you think?...It's those little knives, don't you think?skydiveboyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17174073226290431753noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5730391.post-7128379118489544672018-11-02T15:48:06.601-07:002018-11-02T15:48:06.601-07:00The Swiss are some dangerous mother fuckers.... ...The Swiss are some dangerous mother fuckers.... Buck Bardhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01009372823348594232noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5730391.post-28648180267748964232018-11-02T13:43:09.100-07:002018-11-02T13:43:09.100-07:00Please don't fall for the trope about polls ge...Please don't fall for the trope about polls getting it wrong - yes, circumstances can change and invalidate poll results before elections, but since 2000 or so we've also had exit polling (after folks cast their ballots) be "wrong."<br /><br />Statisticians note this is exceedingly unlikely, and in fact we use exit polling as a measure for accepting results in other countries. The 2000 and 2004 exit polls were so far off in several key states like Florida and Ohio that the State Department would not have accepted those results from other countries.<br /><br />Interestingly, exit polls have favored Democrats and the results have magically flipped to Republicans, but never the other way around.<br /><br />Republicans have offered a few explanations:<br />- the methodology is inaccurate (very unlikely, it's been incredibly accurate for decades)<br />- polling bias (again, very unlikely)<br />- people leaving the polling booths don't remember who they voted for (hmmmm, maybe for a down-ticket office, but for President?)<br />- people lied about voting for Bush or Trump because they're embarrassed (theoretically possible in liberal enclaves, but Florida and Ohio had a healthy Repub lawn sign population)<br />- people think their votes were actually counted, especially true in states with Republican Secretaries of States, where a very high percentage of provisional ballots are issued in minority communities (and then deemed invalid), and large numbers of ballots are considered spoiled, especially, for example, around Cleveland.<br />- electronic voting machines "misinterpret" the voters' intention. This has been documented in previous elections, where Gore or Kerry votes magically flipped to Bush. And the NAACP has <b><b><a href="https://www.salon.com/2018/10/31/naacp-issues-warning-about-texas-voting-machine-votes-for-beto-orourke-changed-to-ted-cruz/" rel="nofollow">issued a warning</a></b></b> that if you choose the "straight Demoocrat" option in Texas somehow (magically) you cast a vote for Ted Cruz. Again, this has never happened the other way. <br /><br />The voting machines, made by a few companies like Diebold, are controlled by staunch Republicans, who do not release the computer codes, and often do not have paper backups. Independent testing by universities have repeatedly shown that votes can be altered or not counted, and results can be significantly manipulated.<br /><br />Meanwhile the media message is that the polling is wrong.ecoarchitecthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02824602705492756728noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5730391.post-55228889193742734562018-11-02T13:37:37.415-07:002018-11-02T13:37:37.415-07:00Hickenlooper's good, but my wife has her heart...Hickenlooper's good, but my wife has her heart set on Amy Klobuchar. Have to get a car with a bigger bumper if they run together.janhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05927176621372532733noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5730391.post-32439228683762906522018-11-02T13:25:47.741-07:002018-11-02T13:25:47.741-07:00Ah, jan, I see. It was disconcerting to see that b...Ah, jan, I see. It was disconcerting to see that big old red name.<br /><br />Stapleton has run some very negative ads which are outright lies and truth-twisting extraordinaire.<br /><br />After Polis wins, we can focus on our outgoing governor, John Hickenlooper, and his plans for a 2020 Presidential run.Word Womanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15491300694641304112noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5730391.post-82495491138259969512018-11-02T13:17:54.137-07:002018-11-02T13:17:54.137-07:00Fivethirtyeight gives Polis a 94% chance of winnin...Fivethirtyeight gives Polis a 94% chance of winning.janhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05927176621372532733noreply@blogger.com