Mid-week links

As if you didn't know, Gadhafi is completely insane (WSJ)

Kayak Vancouver to Alaska. No experience required (Backcountry.com)

Apparently I need to read the book 'Ridge Runner' (Adventure Journal)

Weekend Cabin: Stony Lake, Ontario (AJ)

Why is Fox News trashing Ron Paul? Check out the other links within the story too. (Big Picture)

Maybe its not such an awful thing when people are out of the gene pool. Family sues Forest Service after son is eaten by bear (AJ)

World record skiing cliff jump happened on accident. Holy crap (AJ)

Aussie cameraman gets in-water footage of shark eating marlin (Deadspin)

Today in American Statistical Trivia

The NYT published some interesting graphic-accompanied statistical data about the US from The US Statistical Abstract. This kind of stuff isn't even close to useful information, but its kind of neat. Plus, anything I can gain in this field puts me one step closer to ever beating Nancy at something trivia-related (24 years of sibling-ness and its yet to happen). Check out the story here. Some of the highlights (file under 'this week's sign of the apocalypse)


- Twice as many young adults bowl as ride bicycles.
- We ate 5.4 pounds less red meat per person since 2000
- We ate 30 pounds fewer vegetables per persons since 2000
- 41% of all births were to unmarried women (up 22 points since 1980)
- 7.3 million adults in jail, on parole or probation in 2008.

Should a modicum of political knowledge be require to vote?

A friend of mine from my JPM days sent me this test from Pew Research Center. 11 quick, very simple, multiple choice questions. The test itself is hardly difficult, but what is interesting are the average results. The really scary thought is that you would think the political IQ of people being directed to a web-based quiz would be slightly biased towards higher education folks. The test results are frightening. No wonder politicians treat us like we're not paying attention, their electorate has the average wherewithal of a cucumber.

You can see the national results after you finish the quiz. Take the quiz here.

I would fully support a required 6 or 7 out of 11 passing score in order to vote. This reminds me of one of my all-time favorite Family Guy quotes (I'm trying to find the video but failing, punchline at the end):

Chris: Yes, I had to chase the butterfly. I came out here to observe nature. What did you come out here for?

Stewie: I came to the woods because I wished to live deliberately, and see if I could not learn what it had to teach, and not, when I came to die, discover that I had not lived.

Chris: Wow, Stewie. That was beautiful. Did you write that?

Stewie: No. [to the audience] But can you tell me who did? Log on now.

[music plays in the background, A. Robert Frost, B. Henry David Thoreau, and C. Thornton Mellon appears on the screen. After a couple of seconds, the music stops]

Stewie: [to the audience] All right, let's tally up those responses.

[Stewie looks at the results on the screen. 15% appears next to Robert Frost, 18% appears next to Henry David Thoreau, and 67% appears next to Thornton Mellon.]

Stewie: [annoyed] Wow. You know who that is? You know who Thornton Mellon-- [B. Henry David Thoreau remains on the screen as the other disappear] First of all, it was Henry David Thoreau. [B. Henry David Thoreau disappears from the screen] But do you know who Thornton Mellon is? That was Rodney Dangerfield's character in Back to School. You feel good about yourselves? Huh? This is why the other countries are beating us, you know! So you know, you got only yourself to blame next time you go to the vet and complain that Indian doctor is too rough with your cat.