What Political Description Fits You Best?

Take this shortest political quiz from this site and find out where you stand.

My results show the following:

ACCORDING TO YOUR ANSWERS,
The political description that fits you best is...

CENTRIST
CENTRISTS espouse a "middle ground" regarding government control of the economy and personal behavior. Depending on the issue, they sometimes favor government intervention and sometimes support individual freedom of choice. Centrists pride themselves on keeping an open mind, tend to oppose "political extremes," and emphasize what they describe as "practical" solutions to problems.

The RED DOT on the Chart shows where you fit on the political map.

How People Have Scored
Centrist 33.26 %
Right (Conservative) 8.73 %
Libertarian 32.64 %
Left (Liberal) 17.45 %
Statist (Big Government) 7.92 %

Other Political Philosophies

Right (Conservative)
Conservatives tend to favor economic freedom, but frequently support laws to restrict personal behavior that violates "traditional values." They oppose excessive government control of business, while endorsing government action to defend morality and the traditional family structure. Conservatives usually support a strong military, oppose bureaucracy and high taxes, favor a free-market economy, and endorse strong law enforcement.

Left (Liberal)
Liberals usually embrace freedom of choice in personal matters, but tend to support significant government control of the economy. They generally support a government-funded "safety net" to help the disadvantaged, and advocate strict regulation of business. Liberals tend to favor environmental regulations, defend civil liberties and free expression, support government action to promote equality, and tolerate diverse lifestyles.

Libertarian
Libertarians support maximum liberty in both personal and economic matters. They advocate a much smaller government; one that is limited to protecting individuals from coercion and violence. Libertarians tend to embrace individual responsibility, oppose government bureaucracy and taxes, promote private charity, tolerate diverse lifestyles, support the free market, and defend civil liberties.

Statist (Big Government)
Statists want government to have a great deal of power over the economy and individual behavior. They frequently doubt whether economic liberty and individual freedom are practical options in today's world. Statists tend to distrust the free market, support high taxes and centralized planning of the economy, oppose diverse lifestyles, and question the importance of civil liberties.

It figures, for me. I am a registered Independent. Estimates show that 10% of the electorate are Independents.

Update:
Find out where Prof. Greg Mankiw stands.

Some Short Thoughts On The Upcoming US Elections

The US holds mid-term elections this coming November 7th, first Tuesday of the new month. A mere eleven days from today.

Positions up for grabs are from US Senators down to the lowest elected city official. Thus, there are technically no national referenda, but simply state-wide positions and issues to be contested and decided by the electorate. Though, during these very crucial and contentious elections, it might as well be an election or referendum on the current national/federal government.

All the issues being hotly tossed about, dissected, criticized, or defended are those that go beyond state boundaries. Issues that affect the entire nation, like the ongoing wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, illegal immigration, national or homeland security, ethical issues such as stem cell research, and of course, the state of the nation’s economy. No local issues with just local impacts here.

As individual voters then, it is quite easy to feel some degree of hapless confusion and helplessness in being able to affect the country’s direction based on the balloted choices for the upcoming elections. True, pundits like to deal on the long-term effects and repercussions that certain choices on the 2006 elections will have, still this sense of helplessness is felt especially in states where the odds and results are pretty much determined beforehand. Which candidates are assured to either retaining their positions or assuming their new positions.

Take California, for example, where I have resided for many years. This huge populous state is decidedly “blue” and thus, expected to vote Democratic. Not strangely enough, I have not heard much about the reelection campaign of one of the Democratic dynamic duo representing the state, nor from the virtual unknown Republican challenger from the opposite side. I am supposing, and I would be right on this, that it is as good a given that those two senators (Senators Feinstein & Boxer) will resume their exalted positions in the next Congress.

More than the hot contentious issues being debated and the hair-thin close races in many states, which have spawned ugly negative ads not seen in past elections, the main bone of contention for this election is the control of Congress. Which party is likely to wrest the majorities in both houses?

Right now, the Republicans hold sway in both branches of government, and one could say, even that of the third branch, the judiciary, through recent appointments successfully pushed through by the current administration.

But polls are showing the Democrats holding the upper hand in many contested states, as the election date draws nigh.

This will be the defining starting fight for this new century. Who will have control of the Congress, especially for the next two years, the remainder of the term for this lame duck administration? The president ends this second and last term and his sitting vice president has adamantly declared that he is not interested in the presidency.

Thus the presidential elections of 2008 will truly be a free-for-all, with no incumbent holding any kind of in-power advantage. And this will be the main event.

But on a much lowlier scale, I find myself for this election at an awkward position, having started a move of residence from one county to another. Thus, technically, I am still registered to vote in my old county, San Mateo, though I have spent considerable time in my new county trying to settle in.

Thus, for the few remaining precious time, I may have to acquaint myself with the candidates on the ballot, and the score of initiatives or propositions that will accompany the election.

And I must confess that the usually great fervor and honor felt during elections are a bit dissipated for this present exercise.

But I continue to be hopeful that collectively, the country will make the right decisions. Given the very pivotal role the country plays in the globe, it cannot afford to be complacent and nonchalant in its decisions and actions.

And as a last parting thought, the US in the midst of these very unsettling times both domestically and globally, finds its prominence and dominance challenged in all areas – politically, economically, and even militarily. It finds itself diminished in most areas even as it feverishly tries to defend itself against both just and unjust charges.

But these are not necessarily bad for the US. Maybe it is about time that other countries put shoulders to the plow and take up the slack. The US cannot be world’s policeman, defender, and deep-pockets country for eternity. Thus the emerging economic dominance of China, India, Singapore, and Australia, with the established participatory roles of Japan and the still consolidating EU, may augur well for a global future that today appears bleak and desolate.

Teaching The World To Sing

It is a well regarded belief that the world defers to the human singing voice as the most wonderful, and maybe most enigmatic, musical instrument of all time. The world appears not able to get enough of it. Even when assembled hordes of musical instruments in a philharmonic orchestra hum in unison to the tune and cadence of a musical composition, almost always the human singing voice is added as the central focus. Thus we have the solos, whether in popular music or in operatic arias.

And to this day, the dulcet human voice still is the center in most musical renditions. On Broadway. In the many arenas of heartland USA where concerts are held.

Man has at times elevated singing to profound heights, at times catapulting it to almost spiritual or mystical crests.

And time was when most men, those who couldn’t find or afford public forums or those not possessing the gilded voices of a few blessed individuals, would resort ingeniously or resourcefully to other means to satisfy their cravings for practicing the high art of singing. Be it in the homely bathrooms, in the solitude and privacy of their own abode. In isolated places where one could only count the lowly animals as likely audience. And most other places and arenas, where one is shielded from public scrutiny by solitude. Resulting in most instances in one having to sing a Capella, with nary an audience other than the echoes of one’s voice bouncing off one’s own ears. That is, singing without any appropriate accompaniment, the necessary companion for singing.

But because to sing properly and adequately, one needed the services of other people. People who could play musical instruments to accompany one’s singing. No doubt many otherwise promising songsters of the past may have been frustrated in their ardent desires to discover, develop, and practice on their singing. If only to perform decently during family gatherings or during outings with friends. Or to be quite frank, to appeasing one’s at times insatiable ego pursuing its own capricious whims or warped sense of self-expression. And why not?

Anyway, in the late 70’s this public and universal craving started to be addressed in an inauspicious manner. People in the business of music, whether selling recorded songs or selling musical instruments, started looking for ways to make available to the public at large devices that would allow even those who were not musically literate to have access to services which were necessary for singing, whether personal or public – the musical accompaniment.

Recorded accompaniment which did not have need for live performers. In comparison, one is reminded of those now ubiquitous synthesizers, which in their most technologically advanced stages can create virtual orchestras. But all absent the attendant necessarily exorbitant costs required to cobble together those electronically intricate adaptations, and all within reach of your typical consumer, the one used to singing in the bathroom a Capella to satisfy his innate craving for musical expression.

Thus, came along the sing-a-long, or now more popularly referred to as karaoke, devices in varying sizes and dizzying arrays of technology.


But its origin is somewhat unclear and not clarified, though unquestionably, the word itself, karaoke, is Japanese in origin and the more popular perception is that indeed this started in Japan.

But a credible challenge, though not really brought into the forefront and publicly asserted, is that of a Filipino inventor who held a couple of patents to a device(s) that pretty much mimics the present-day karaoke machines.

And the corresponding timelines may reveal a bit as to who can fairly claim authorship.

Compare and make you own conclusions.

Regarding the history of karaoke, here’s what Inventors.About.Com has to say:

Roberto del Rosario - Filipino Inventor: Roberto del Rosario is the president of the Trebel Music Corporation and the inventor of the Karaoke Sing Along System in 1975. Roberto del Rosario has patented more than twenty inventions making him one of the most prolific Filipino inventor. Besides his famous Karaoke Sing Along System Roberto del Rosario has also invented:

• Trebel Voice Color Code (VCC)
• piano tuner's guide
• piano keyboard stressing device
• voice color tape

Roberto del Rosario - Noted Patents:
• Patent No. UM-5269 dated 2 June 1983 for audio equipment and improved audio equipment commonly known as the sing-along system or karaoke
• Patent No. UM-6237 dated 14 November 1986 audio equipment and improved audio equipment commonly known as the sing-along system or karaoke

Roberto del Rosario described his sing-along system as a handy multi-purpose compact machine which incorporates an amplifier speaker, one or two tape mechanisms, optional tuner or radio and microphone mixer with features to enhance one's voice, such as the echo or reverb to stimulate an opera hall or a studio sound, with the whole system enclosed in one cabinet casing.

Here’s what Wikipedia has to say in turn, batting for the Japanese as the originators:

Karaoke (Japanese: カラオケ, from 空 kara, "empty" or "void", and オーケストラ ōkesutora, "orchestra") is a form of entertainment in which an amateur singer or singers sing along with recorded music on microphone. The music is typically of a well-known song in which the voice of the original singer is absent or reduced in volume. Lyrics are usually also displayed, sometimes including color changes synchronized with the music, on music video to guide the sing-along.

Karaoke has been a popular form of entertainment beginning first in Japan, then the rest of East Asia, since at least the 1980s, and has since spread to other parts of the world. Karaoke engenders quite a bit of culture specific to its enthusiasts, and this culture, unsurprisingly, varies from country to country.

The karaoke industry started in Japan in the early 1970s when singer Daisuke Inoue (Inoue Daisuke) was asked by frequent guests in the Utagoe Kissa, where he performed, to provide a recording of his performance so that they could sing along on a company-sponsored vacation.

That aside, karaoke, in its many manifestations and spin-offs, has rapidly spread world-wide, and has electrified both the entrepreneurs and consuming public.

Now, it is both commonplace and ubiquitous. In nightclubs, in bars. And it has even spawned a business industry all to its own – businesses where the main product is karaoke singing. And karaoke singing contests, too, have evolved.

And like most things touched by and tinkered with electronic technologies, the karaoke machines have undergone tremendous evolutions in its short life span from the 70’s to the present time. From the crude lumbering sing-a-long machines to the sleek hand-held portables that one can now purchase most anywhere consumer electronics are offered. Of course, for the avid cannot-be-satisfied technophiles, there are very sophisticated and technologically-loaded machines that can do much anything that can be done in studio, save duplicating the voice of the original recording artist to be copied, mimicked, or imitated.

Or maybe not, in the very near future at the very least. Because I read about a machine that can now translate one’s recorded voice to come out much like the recording artist one wants to imitate.

After all, it is now commonplace for speech patterns to be tracked, analyzed, and recorded. Thus, the next inevitable step would be to duplicate those patterns. Of course, this news came from Japan.

So expect pretty soon to be able to not only avail of the unique musical arrangements that your favorite recording artists record in, but also electronically imitate his vocal cords.

Blog Writing : On Uncharitable Criticism/Name Calling

*Credits
There definitely are enough treatises out there detailing rules and standards for good writing style in blogging. And this would hold true with regard to the select words, ideas, and phrases to use to attract and invite readership to one’s blog. Teasing and goading those restless search engines to up rank one’s site in their search results.

There are even those which dispense recommendations on what subjects to write about for optimum exposure and penetration in the blogosphere.

Other works have ventured out into the world of proper etiquette and rules of conduct in blog writing.

But is there enough literature out there that addresses specific issues, say, concerning criticism, beyond just the tone and degree of civility in dealing with them?

With regard to uncharitable criticism which continues to be on the rise in the blogosphere, do we believe too readily what we hear or read about others, especially with regard to things that tend to bolster and validate our own pre-conceived notions about people and ideas?

Taking into account that we often render judgment on others – with prejudice, whether consciously perceived or not. Yet we are viscerally aware that frequently our judgments are influenced by our temperaments, tastes, moods, ambitions, and yes, even self-love.

Thus, it usually is the better path to refuse judgment on one person based on negative criticisms one hears from another. Many an innocent man’s name and reputation have been besmirched, not only when he is absent and unable to defend himself. But also when the man concerned refuses to stoop to the level of exchanging incendiary rhetoric or validating errant charges leveled against him.

We as a species are quite predisposed to feeling superior and justified when we criticize others. And in the process we are apt to exaggerate the faults of our neighbor. And trot in false courage and justified glee, knowing we have cavalierly humiliated or derided another.

And if inordinate interest in the criticisms is generated, it typically fuels and inflames more uncharitable talk.

Thus, still an effective way to show disapproval of back-biting is to seek shelter in the golden rod of silence.

We accept that everybody makes mistakes. And the human critic may very well “know” better than the others. But even then, that same critic may not discern the innermost motives and intentions of the person being criticized. In this light then, one has no right to reveal and delve on the faults of others, except to protect the innocent, to help the guilty person himself, or for the public good.

More importantly, we ought to remember we ourselves may object to being the object of such criticism if directed against us.

Speak now of the criticized one as we would want others to speak of us when we are criticized.

We ought to be more willing and predisposed to think well of others than to think evil.

And let us aim to leave all judgment, as much as we are able, to one where judgment resides.

For while man proposes, He alone disposes.

No Macbeth's Lament

Scanning through the global news, one can see that the world’s on fire. No, make that, in conflagration. Or in an uncontrollable firestorm? Brush fires are ablaze every which country one looks. Tinderboxes or powder kegs smoldering. Sparks flying over seared political and social landscapes. Not much need to elaborate, to convince any reasonable person.

So laments are in order?

Superficially, definitely yes. But a little cursory in-depth (like reading between the lines) and honest reading of news as reported ought to consign laments to some obscure closet. Or at least, unwelcome and undeserved.

But in a world of half-empty or half-full rivalries, it decidedly appears that the half empty crowds are on top of the heap. They hold sway. They define discussions –and more importantly, they are influencing societal opinions and values. Or could, at least, in many respects.

Consider this one specific instance.



While initially not much attention given by high-powered media, the news came out that the US now “officially” has a population of 300 million people, pushed largely by immigration comprising significantly of illegals. Making it the third most populous nation in the world!

This count could easily be challenged. For after all, who can count the illegals reliably? Government officials cannot even reliably count those clandestinely crossing the borders in number batches that can be sorted and counted easier than counting populations in urbanized areas.

The world’s most populous country, China, is suspected to show an undercount of its population, given the understandable dread held by its citizens in honestly declaring numbers of children beyond the proscribed number allowed by the government.

Thus, it should be quite as easily to also project that because the extrapolation is that there are 11 million illegals in the country already, then the “unofficial” count of US population ought to be over 311 million already.

And what’s with this milestone? For one, it has garnered for the country the “honor” as the ONLY industrialized country to register population increases. Made significant because peoples from all over the globe continue trooping in record numbers to avail of opportunities of bettering their lives, economically, politically and etc.

We assume then that those who are here, especially those who account for the increases, are indeed bettering their lives – at least comparatively speaking, i.e., compared to their old lives in their old homelands.

A good and laudable development, and a cause for some celebration, right?

But examine what dire prognostications the report highlights.

And make your judgment.

Here’s a sampling, whether this news is “a milestone for sure but is this a cause for celebration or anxiety?”

“….it is unsustainable, they say.”

“On a global scale the average US citizen uses far more than his or her fair share of the planet's resources…”

“there was also a global perspective to America's rapacious model of consumption”

“The US - with five per cent of the world's population - uses 23 per cent of its energy, 15 per cent….”