[note: sorry to you dial-uppers; this post is going to be video-heavy. if you can't see them, feel free to ask questions.] (= how many of you out there watched the debate friday night? pretty interesting stuff, i'd say. in recent years, i've become increasingly political. i used to be completey apathetic until the first bush presidency (i couldn't believe he actually won). after that debacle, i started caring in spite of myself, and now it's to the point where i've gotten in huge fights with my mum who has never voted (because she's lazayyyy; not a good enough reason for me). i'm certainly not the most educated person, but i do try to make myself as aware as possible; and i weigh all the issues when voting, not just one. i've always been democratic, which isn't to say i'd never vote republican; it's just that the last time they had a candidate i agreed with, it was abraham lincoln - and that was when the republican party was the liberal one. i don't 100% agree with democrats, either, but i do agree with them most of the time: far more than i can say for their counterpart. truthfully, i'd rather we just get rid of the labels altogether and have the candidates just state what they're for and against; then the party-loyalties wouldn't be such an issue, because people would be looking at the individual. i know the chance of that happening is about as likely as the earth imploding in the next ten minutes (and we'll double your order for free! just pay shipping and handling). i can still hope. having said alllll that, i'm going to show you some gems i've found. the first two are the new political ads from barack obama. i particularly like their straight-forwardness and the fact that it's not just another 'the other candidate is evil!' ad (coughmccaincough). he's forthright about his plans, and it's easy to see that he's genuine. this is the type of ad i wish all politicians would return to: obama's «plan for change» ad: and «a stronger economy»: next, we have a few ads that i think everyone - mccain supporters particularly - should see: «mccain gets free pass for lies», «a look at an obama-bashing mccain ad», and «mccain's own ads put side-by-side with the truth», respectively. (if you only wish to see one, i highly recommend the last of these three; it's in mccain's own words.) finally, for those that claim all veterans are for mccain, we hear from the most recent vets - «next generation veterans for obama» and, finally, an interesting article showing some statistics, for those of you who demand them: «politicians lie; numbers don't.» nothing really interesting has happened lately. i've been sick since thursday and spent the weekend in bed, which was unfortunate as we had to cancel our plans, but it did help with my recovery. my nose is still running constantly, but i am feeling so much better. this may be the quickest i've ever recovered from an illness in my life. i was planning on posting this sooner, but i'd forgotten and then sD decided to flood. mike finally picked out a car. he got the newer of the two we were looking at, and he seems to like it (even if he won't admit it, of course). i'm so glad i don't have to take mine everywhere anymore; i love driving, but my car needs to last me awhile, too. :P i'm hoping this week will be more eventful. we've been cleaning and re-arranging the flat, and it's coming along nicely. i've got quite a few things i need to do this week, and i'm hoping i'll be able to see some friends, too. also, today is a swell day so far. it's grey out, and finally we're at fall temperatures. i love sunny autumn days, too, of course, but this really feels the part. (= anyhow. hope you're all doing well. ;) and be sure to check out religify, scott's new forum for political and religious discussion. we've got a few members but definitely welcome more! and if any of what i've posted above interests you (or you really, really want to debate it), religify is the place to talk about it. (= _______ monday, 29 sept 2008 10h41 CDT [edit] if you missed the debate, here's a good place to find it: this is part one; the subsequent segments are linked to each other. (= and, in case you missed it, here's the reason sarah palin doesn't do interviews: hehehe i have the gigglies now; that last line is priceless. ____ 13h02 CDT