ChristopherChandler.net

Yeah. I can’t wait to see this.

2010. -C

Yes that is spelled correctly. My New Years resolutions are the typical of others.

• Put important finances first
• Work on my Game Boy collection/site/publication
• Eat better.  (Damn you French Fries. How I love you so.)

Just a quick shout out to the 2008 Philadelphia Phillies, who I did see play this year, only once, but still a great time. Let me say this may be just what this city needed. In a time of economic downturn, and crime and murder rates soaring to an all time high, hopefully this historical win can help bring the city closer together, and restore the name of Philadelphia, “The City of Brotherly Love.” -C

FiveThirtyEight.com Prediction of the Current Presidential Election

         If you don’t know what the magic number of 538 means, you are about to find out. 538 is the total number of electoral votes in the electoral college. Each Presidential candidate needs 270 votes to win the presidential race. There is a website called FiveThirtyEight.com that has some great charts, graphs, and polls to inform voters of the current standing of the race to the White House. The best thing about the site is it is non-partisan meaning that it is not bias against one candidate. All polls are received and analyzed, and checked for bias. If a poll is by a new group or is bias, that particular poll does not go into account for the mathematical calculation of the graphs, charts, and predictions.
         From the chart you see here it is the current prediction of the Presidential race. The lighter the color, the more likely the state is split. So if you see a light blue state such as Indiana, it means that Obama is leading, but not by very much, as well as with McCain and a light red state such as North Dakota. In addition it gives many odds on different results of this year’s election, as well as numerous other stats for Senate and other important races. I encourage everyone to check it out, and read their FAQ if you have any questions. -C

Okay so apparently this excellent skit on NBC from last Saturday night, parodying the benefactors of the bailout plan was edited from the original version aired. On SNL’s site, the skit is still up, but has been significantly altered, and censored. Bloggers have posted the uncensored version on their blogs in numerous places on the internet. One of the funniest things about the skit is the captions that C-SPAN gave at the bottom. Also a comment about congress dismissing any accountability to those who made the economy what it is today has been removed as well. I am kind of upset by this censorship for a couple of reasons:

1. Comedy – This was a joke. People get very uptight when they are made fun of, and in this financial crisis that we are currently in, we as the American people NEED to laugh once in awhile. Especially about things that happen to us everyday, some more than others.

2. Free Speech – Really, there was nothing that offensive in the skit to the general American public. Did NBC think that we would just not notice the fact that it had been edited? I mean, it’s been on the internet in uncensored form already, and it hasn’t even been a week since it aired. It’s still fresh in our minds.

I am sure some very large wallets had something to do with this censorship, and I do not agree with it. I’d understand if a skit was blatantly offensive, but this is nothing compared to what else is on television these days. This makes me worry to for these so called “Complete Seasons” of Saturday Night Live on DVD. At the rate they are going to produce these seasons, some people may have missed a glaring omission like this in 10+ years. I am glad that people have an archived version of this skit so it will always remain in the hands of those who enjoy it. -C