Polls, more polls, and maybe some statistics

The TV is reporting that Clinton is up 9 % in the polls nationwide.  This comes after Debate #1, the Trump tape from 11 years ago, and Debate #2.  Bad news, if the polls are accurate. 
   My brother just got back from the great antique car show and auction in Hershey PA.  The show has been the second biggest thing in Hershey, after the chocolate company, for forty years or more.  He tells me the Trump signs were all over the place, not a Hillary sign to be seen.  Apparently car buffs are Trump fans.  Let's hope there are more of them.
   The pollsters got it wrong on Brexit.  They might get it wrong on the election.

How was 11 year old tape located in time?

I can see how TV networks would want to keep video of all the shows that they put on the air.  But the tape that did so much damage to The Donald was an out take, not broadcast video.  How come it was saved, and how did anyone find it 11 years later, just in time to do The Donald a lot of harm?  How much rummaging thru dusty boxes of video tape was required? And how much viewing of aged video was done, and by who? 
   There is a story here. Wanna bet the MSM won't touch it with a ten foot pole?  "All the news that fits, we print".

And I watched the 2nd Donald-Hillary debate

The Donald came on strong.  He answered some opening questions about THAT TAPE, pretty well.  He was able to move the discussion forward to some real issues, tax reform, Syria, repealing Obamacare, shutting down Obama's war on coal.  He also kept up a steady stream of zingers at Hillary. 
  Hillary was looking strong too, did not stumble or faint or show any kind medical problem.  She had a lotta zingers for The Donald. 
   Most of the questions sucked.  The moderators were a pair of newsies from ABC and CNN who tried to help Hillary and hinder The Donald as much as they could. 
   I think The Donald managed to erase some of the damage done by THAT TAPE. 

So I listened to the Trump audio tape.

Well, I've heard worse, actually a lot worse.  I was in the service once upon a time.  I played varsity sports in high school and heard a lot of crude remarks in the locker room.  But it's still kinda gross.  And the MSM are giving it all the air play in the world, hoping to sabotage Trump's campaign. 

The Odyssey of Humanity on Nova

Two hour show this Sunday.  Lots of  good video.  Lots of inane commentary.  Lots of astounding conclusions presented without any of the evidence to support them.  For instance, the voice over says that Neanderthal man lacked projectile weapons (bow and arrow, throwing spears) that Homo Sapiens possessed.  The voice over fails to mention any evidence for this bold claim.  Were there counts of flint arrowheads from Neanderthal sites and homo sapiens sites?  How does one tell the difference between a flint spearhead from a thrusting spearhead from a throwing spear?  It's an important issue.  Hunting with a bow and arrow is one helova lot more effective than hunting with just a flint knife or a thrusting spear, merely because the hunter doesn't have to stalk as closely and risk spooking the game.  With a bow and arrow the hunter only has to get within 50 yards of his prey.  Which is a lot easier than stalking to within touching distance ( zero feet). 
   Then the voice over goes into the old Bering Land Bridge theory, the idea that man crossed over from Asia to America when the oceans were low and the Bering Straits became dry land.  This is a land lubber's idea.  In real life Alaskan Eskimos used to cross the modern day Bering Straits in skin boats (Umiaks) until the Soviets made life impossible for them after WWII.  The umiaks were covered with walrus hide, a quarter of an inch thick, tough as fiberglass.  Eskimo umiaks are strong enough to take the thrust of a 40 horsepower outboard motor. 
   They did show a umiak on video, but the voice over clearly doesn't under stand the difference between rowing and paddling.   If your boat is strong enough to take the thrust of the oarlocks,  rowing will take you much further and faster than paddling.  Indian birch bark canoes were paddled because the birch bark isn't strong enough for oarlocks. 
   Then we see a truly impressive Pacific ocean catamaran.  Two masts, cabins, big crew, very impressive vessel.  It's a modern replica.  No discussion of ancient catamarans.  Do they have pictures? rock carvings? a salvaged wreck?  or what?  I'd love to believe that Polynesians reached Hawaii in such a craft, but I'd like a little evidence.  Plus no details of the impressive modern replica, like length, displacement, speed, how high she could point up into the wind, what each of the twin hulls was made of.  Or what the sails might have been made of.  The replica's sails looked like modern Dacron to me.
   Nova  had a lot of dramatic flashy video, made a nice TV show, but the voice over displayed so much ignorance as to discredit the whole thing. 

Peak of Leaf Season

This weekend is as good as it's gonna get up here in the Notch.   I was going to add a couple of photos but the software weenies at blogger seem to have broken the photo upload code, again.  Way to go software weenies.

Sorry about Gretchen Carlson, but Britt Hume is cool too.

Gretchen disappeared off Fox's 7 PM  news show.  I assume that she was caught up in the Fox News/Roger Ailes sexual harassment affair, although I don't know that for sure.  I watched Gretchen's show for a long time.  But, I gotta say that old pro Britt Hume does even better than Gretchen did.  Britt makes the same show (same time slot) even more interesting.   Way to go Britt.