Friday, October 3, 2008, 17:18 - News/Politics, Jokes/Humor
I had a tough time deciding who won the debate last night. Let's review the major points:
Joe Biden has amazing teeth. I need to find out who his dentist is. (1 point)
Palin has a great smile. I need to find out who her make up artist is. (2 points)
Palin has a funny accent. (1 point)
Something or other about Main Street. (0 points)
Final: 3-1
Palin wins!
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Monday, September 29, 2008, 19:57 - Announcements, Monthly Quote
I came across this quote in the movie Rendition.
"I fear you speak upon the rack,
Where men enforced do speak anything."
-William Shakespeare (1564-1616)
The quote questions the validity of using torture in interrogations, specifically in the instance where one is tortured for information that he/she does not possess, in which case that person releases false information just to cease the immediate pain.
By the way, two years ago, this very month, the tradition of the thenr monthly quote was born! Flashback.
Now, isn't that exciting?
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Saturday, September 27, 2008, 22:47 - General, News/Politics
Some weeks ago (maybe even months), facebook rolled out the "old" design and brought in the wider, "new" design. This was a mistake. The new design is impractical, inconvenient, confusing, and slow to load. And not to mention an all-around eyesore.
Since then, facebook has disallowed its users to choose between the old and new layouts. Another mistake. In fact, the social network giant continues to disregard millions of unsatisfied, (once) loyal customers.
Do you dislike the new facebook? Do you want the new layout to change (perhaps back to the old one)?
Then have some self-respect and deactivate your account. Starting groups and bitching about facebook ON facebook is a surprisingly ineffective method of protest. The more visits that facebook gets, the more revenue they make. Shocker, I know.
It has been weeks now since I deactivated my account.
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Friday, September 5, 2008, 13:10 - News/Politics
By now, most of you are probably familiar with the presidential candidates involved in this year's elections: Obama, McCain, the inevitable Nader. But who knows about Bob?
Bob Barr, the proverbial Lockheed Martin Blackbird, has managed to avoid the media's radar. Interested to know more about Bob Barr? In order to complete your election experience, Thenr, after tedious hours of research, has amassed a candidate profile of the elusive Barr.
Who the Hell is Bob Barr? a Thenr exclusive:
Robert Laurence "Bob" Barr, Jr.
Born November 5, 1948, in Iowa City, Iowa
Originally a Republican, Barr departed in 2004. He is now the 2008 Libertarian Party nominee for US President
Representative from Georgia's 7th district (until 2003)
Positions:
War on Drugs: Initially a proponent of the War on Drugs, Barr supports ending marijuana prohibition
Same-sex Marriage: opposes a federal marriage amendment
War in Iraq: voted for the war, currently in favor of "a speedy and complete withdrawal"
Terrorism: voted for the Patriot Act, currently regrets it
Taxing: proponent of a consumption tax*
*A consumption tax places a tax on only what is consumed. Therefore, income may be left untaxed, but the more you buy, the more tax you'll pay. The idea is that people are not taxed for the money they save. However, many economists view that consumption taxing discourages economic growth and spending.
Mr. Barr was a leader in the Clinton impeachment committee.
Recent polls (CNN, FOX, and Zogby) place Barr at 2%. Way to go, Bob!
His most distinguishing characteristic is the mustache.
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Tuesday, September 2, 2008, 00:36 - General, Announcements, News/Politics
Thenr will cover the 2008 Presidential election! To make the campaign official, I've crafted a new banner for the site and a name "v08" or "version08".So what should you expect from this new campaign?
Definitely more political posts and some coverage on polls and statistics and of course opinions. But this doesn't mean that Thenr has been fully converted into a political site. Also expect regular posts, such as, like quotes and top fives.
Please comment and contribute! Politics is not meant to be discussed in monologue.
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Friday, August 29, 2008, 23:08 - General, News/Politics
Now that the pleasantries in Beijing have come to an and, it's time to address the question whose answer we have all been dying to know. Who won the Olympics?Surely without a winner, we can never reach any sort of closure over the event. Now, one could revert back to the kindergarten school of thought and simply deem that "everyone is a winner!" But we all know that this is not the case.
However, the task of deciding a winner is more daunting than one may initially think. Don't allow the simplicity of the question mislead you. In order to decide a winner, we must apply some sort of algorithm using the results of the competition. But the question is what is the perfect algorithm?
Allow us to view the medal count between the top two countries (US and China) - the rest are so far behind they won't be an issue this year. Now in alphabetical order (not necessarily in order of the winner):
CHINA: 51 GOLD, 21 SILVER, 28 BRONZE : 100 TOTAL
USA: 36 GOLD, 38 SILVER, 36 BRONZE : 110 TOTAL
The simplest algorithm is determining the winner based solely on the total medal count. Using this first algorithm, the United States is the winner. But this is a flawed system! It doesn't take into account at all the prestige of winning gold medals. There's something to be said about being the best athlete in the world at your sport.
So then let's move on to the second simplest algorithm. Use the gold medal count to determine the winner! In this instance China wins, as it outnumbers the USA in gold medals 51 to 36. But again, this is flawed as well, because it doesn't take into the account the other medals. The Olympics is not just about gold medals.
It's obvious that our algorithm must take into account the total number of medals won in addition to to the color of the medal. Then let us move on to a third algorithm. What I like to call the 3-2-1 system. In this algorithm countries will receive three points for every gold medal they won, 2 points for each silver medal, and 1 point for each bronze medal. The country with the most points is obviously the winner of the Olympics.
CHINA = 51*3 + 21*2 + 28 = 223
USA = 36*3 + 38*2 + 36 = 220
In this system China wins. But upon analyzing the 3-2-1 algorithm mathematically one notices that the silver medal is worth twice the points that bronze medal is worth, while the gold medal is only worth 1.5 times the silver medal. Does this mean that the difference of prestige between the silver medal and bronze medal is greater than that between a gold medal and a silver medal?
Well, if you're unsatisfied then let us try one final algorithm. The 5-2-1 algorithm, which puts extra weight on the amount of gold medals won. Now I don't really need to do the math out for you, China wins here, too, but I'll prove it to you anyway.
CHINA = 51*5 + 21*2 + 28 = 325
USA = 36*5 + 38*2 + 36 = 292
Alas, although deep down inside I was rooting for the US, there is no denying the results.
Congratulations, China, on winning and hosting a great Olympics.
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Monday, July 7, 2008, 21:46 - Announcements
Now that thenr is back in full swing, I've been working on the site a lot lately and I'm proud to announce several new additions:1) There is a new written work section on the site (look on the right column), where I will publish some of my better essays and fictional writings. So far only one essay is up, here. The page took a lot of work. I'd like to especially thank Brian, whose hours of effort were crucial in getting the page to look nice and yet function at the same time.
2) There is an updated about page! Check it out here.
3) I've updated and organized the links in the right-side column of the site. Hopefully things are a little easier to access now.
3) I'm currently working on a new project with Brian nicknamed PROJECT ROLLING POPLAR. It's a webcomic site linked with thenr. We're hoping to updated it once every two weeks.
4) As you may know, I've begun work on the fourth installment of the Kenya Story, but, unfortunately, I will be out of town for much of the month. I will keep you updated.
5) I will also begin work on another project linked to thenr, nicknamed THE AMBROSIA PROJECT.
It's an exciting time for thenr.net and as always thanks for your support!
[ 1 comment ] ( 14 views ) | permalink
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