Red States and Blue States: It Was Not Always Thus

I hear a lot of people talking about red states and blue states, often speaking of them as if it’s a set-in-stone phenomenon. Unfortunately, because American History taught in high school often glosses over 20th Century History (especially the political side), many people don’t know what really went on over the last 100 years. Let’s […]

Raw Data Regarding Voting Records, Graduation Rank, GDP Rank, and Welfare Rank

Voting Records (from Presidential Elections) Red – Voted mostly Republican since 1999 Purple – Even split since 1999 Blue – Voted mostly Democrat since 1999   Graduation Rank (lower number is better) 1 being the most undergrads living in the location 51 being the fewest undergrads living in the location   GDP Rank (lower number is better) 1 being […]

Statistical Correlations of GDP Per Capita, Welfare, and Voting by State

I hear a lot of people talk about freeloaders, in every election.  Conventional wisdom dictates that the states with the most people taking handouts and the states with the lowest GDP per capita would vote Democrat, in hopes of improving their lives through government handouts.  Sadly, I rarely see statistics on these assumptions – only empty rhetoric. And […]

Statistical Correlations of Education and Voting by State

I analyzed the results from the last four elections for the US Presidency. The statistical correlations are unbelievable.

How The Outrageously-Rich Play Politics: A Gambling Analogy

For those who remember me ranting about the 99% stuff a year-or-so ago, I wanted to tackle something I see a lot of people talk about. People tend to fly off the handle about the ultra-rich (the 1% – people who make enough money to give the maximum contribution to candidates) supporting certain candidates. I’m […]

One More Month, And The Agony Will Stop

There seem to be two types of people on Facebook or, at least, that’s been my perception over the last six months: People who continuously post politically charged articles, memes, status updates, comments, etc. – and people who don’t. Now, don’t get me wrong!  I’m a politically-minded person, and I will post the occasional political thought.  But they are […]

Who Are You Voting For, or, A Realistic and Simple Breakdown Between Obama and Romney

So, I get into a lot of historical and political discussions with people.  I find most of them excruciatingly frustrating.  Most people have no idea what they are talking about and, really, I need to find the will-power to just stop talking to them about this stuff.  People don’t argue to share information: they argue […]

The Reality of Living In Taiwan: An Introduction

Living abroad in a land where I don’t speak the language very well, questions abound and answers are not forthcoming.  It’s my own fault, obviously; you should become literate in the language of the place you are in, not simply as good manners, but also as common sense.  What happens when you need to find […]

This Blog Is Disgusting

This blog has been operational for about a year.  Last spring, I decided to put all my old work on here, for people to read – everything from when I was in high school up until my late 20s.  I put a lot of academic writing on there and a lot of personal writing from […]

Arkansas: Not Entirely What You Think (But, Also Entirely What You Think)

Back in 2008, I voted on of a proposition here in Arkansas called The Unmarried Couple Adoption Ban.  The concept was pushed by a group called The Arkansas Family Council (AFC), who are quirky in their homophobia: they freaked out about California’s Harvey Milk Day, saying kids would be required to dress in drag and have mock […]

The Application of Guerrilla Warfare in an Academic Setting – Written January 5, 2005

It is ironic that Che Guevara’s most famous words, “Hasta la victoria siempre,”1 would be contrary to his ideas about guerrilla warfare. While his cause was Communist economic and social equality his methods of achieving this were based in deception and strategic offense, rarely relying on unity except within the ideals. Guerrilla warfare, a revamp […]

Aristotle’s Interpretation of Spartan Women – Written March 1, 2004

In Aristotle’s Politics, Book 2, Chapter IX, Aristotle makes a clear connection between the dominant role of women and Spartan society as having a connotation of lawlessness; at the same time, Aristotle’s other statements about women show his slant towards women. At the same time, his ideas about Athens and Athenian government being superior to […]