Safe Obama-153 (CA, IL, NY, VT, MA, CT, RI, MD, HI)
Safe McCain-125 (AZ, UT, ID, WY, ND, SD, NE, KA, OK, TX, MS, AL, KY, TN, SC, AL)

Leaning Obama-37 (OR, WA, ME, NJ)
Leaning McCain-69 (MT, NM, AK, LO, GA, NC, WV, IN)

Toss Up-154 (NV, CO, MO, IA, MN, WI, MI, OH, VA, PA, FL)

First off, what separates “toss-up” from “lean”? It’s currently blurrier than the line between “gaffe” and “flub.” Obama is ahead by 13% in the latest Wisconsin poll, but somehow Farvetown is completely up in the air (Yes, I know that Kerry took WI by the slimmest of margins, but still, 13 points!). The same can be said for Meen-ah-soh-tah, where Obama leads by 15 points in the latest Rasmussen.

New Mexico is probably a T-up, though Obama leads by 9% in the last Rasmussen poll. Somehow it lies in McCain’s lean column. Some of McCain’s safe states seem quite poachable. South Carolina, and some of the oft forgotten plains states are currently competitive (It’d be nice if I could actually find recent polling from the urban futurevilles of North Dakota).

And there is one big decision that helps Obama’s numbers. The gator state is in the T-up column, when it should really be spotted to McCain—maybe even as a “safe” state.

So what does this all mean? Is CNN trying to augment the argument for a close ‘horserace?’ Are they just lagging on their numbers? Are they over-relying on the 2004 map? Do I need to get out more?

A break from politics to appreciate the greatest man alive…Oh, Stephen. After reading this, I feel inspired. Many players fall off the national consciousness a mere half-decade post retirement. Quickly, they are forgotten altogether. We see the legions of good players in blurred, grainy narratives. The narratives are about guys like Chamberlain or MJ–not dudes like Charles Oakley or Sam Cassell. And certainly not dudes like Stephen Jackson. God I hope we don’t forget about Jack. There’s something about him that transcends basketball. It’s almost as if he embodies the spirit of the East Bay. The tough guy. The underdog. The “misunderstood” eccentric. Who better to represent Oakland than a loveable nutcase who constantly teeters on the precipice of violent eruption?

I don’t mean to make violence seem endearing. But his lack of common sense is just so damned loveable. Jack’s more benign outbursts (non-violent referee squabbles, mostly) have such a child-like petulance to them. When you see that pleading, crazed grimace… Well, it’s impossible to really hate the guy. Ironically, only Tim Duncan has a similar aura when it comes to call-arguing. His questionable forays into packed lanes, his bad shots at the beginning of possessions, these are the things that would make you hate a player. Jack somehow rises above the bad decisions. Paradoxically, they seem to almost fuel his unique game. The lack of common sense befuddles the opponent. If Jack folds on pocket aces, then what the hell is he going to do next?

And like Baron, he has a rare ability to feed off a crowd. In the Bruce Lee spirit, Jackson is not one to think–he’s one to feel. SJ tapped into Oracle’s crazed spirit en route to hitting a gazillion consecutive robotic threes against the Mavericks. Maybe I’m getting a bit hyperbolic here, but that game was one of the most awesome experiences of my life.

Well Jack has played a big part in keeping me attached to the NBA. David Stern’s senility threatens to destroy everything I love about the game, but this Warriors team is a reminder of why I fell for basketball in the first place. The squad’s spontaneity, charisma, and character would not exist without the Strip Club Shooter. As a UCB student, I should be lauding the efforts of Nobel laureates. Screw that, I’ve found few famous figures more compelling. It’s why we dumbly incorporated him into a fucking political cartooning website. Thanks, Stephen. You make the Bay proud. We won’t forget ya anytime soon.

This was originally posted at the most unstoppable website of all time.

Not surprisingly, many people are finding themselves questioning their religion more and more and as a result, the atheist population is growing. Not until recently, people are making an active attempt to remove themselves from religion. For myself, I left religion because I find its foundation a little weak.  (Not to mention, I get the added weekend time and the removal of guilt.) But there is a bigger reason that I and many others are becoming more adamant about our atheist views, and thats depowering the church.  I’m tired of the pope speaking for me and I’m tired of religious groups dominating politics, even at the world level.  Atheists simply want to see their view represented too, so they’re uniting more than ever.

However, its come to my attention that in the world perspective, maybe being Atheist isn’t such a great idea.  With more power in the hands of a corrupt few these days, everyone fears that radical muslims will be the decider of the future.  And, believe it or not, what do they fear more than christianity?  Atheism.  Apparently, my muslim practicing friends tell me that muslims actually despise people who believe in no god MORE THAN people who “corruptly” believe in the same god.  (My friends tell me this with their guarantee of certainty.  On a scale of not sure to very sure, they unanimously were very sure.  Not the most scientific study, I admit, but I believe them!)

Now, it’s clear where this is headed.  A simple chain of events might look like this: America shifts towards Atheism -> Radical Muslim terrorists hate Atheist America more than they hate Christian America -> Radical Muslim terrorists find access to nukes (probably one of our own missing nukes, or they get it from George Clooney) ->  America nukes Muslim terrorists first (you probably thought it was the other way around, but remember, we belong to a preemptive America that is dedicated to stopping evil-doers) -> Nuclear Warfare escalates -> We go the way of the dinosaur.

So next time you question you’re religion, realize that religion just might be for the greater good.  As for me, I’ll take my chances.