The Return of the Galactic Cowboys!

Happy.

Testing a Facebook comments embed

A "Half True" update

Years ago, I pointed out to PolitiFact that it had offered readers two different definitions of "Half True." In November 2011, I posted to note PolitiFact's apparent acknowledgment of the problem, evidenced by its effort to resolve the discrepant definitions.

It's over five years later. But PolitiFact Florida (archived version, just in case PolitiFact Florida notices something amiss) either did not get the memo or failed to fully implement the change.

We then decide which of our six rulings should apply:

TRUE – The statement is accurate and there’s nothing significant missing.
MOSTLY TRUE – The statement is accurate but needs clarification or additional information.
HALF TRUE – The statement is accurate but leaves out important details or takes things out of context.
MOSTLY FALSE – The statement contains some element of truth but ignores critical facts that would give a different impression.
FALSE – The statement is not accurate.
PANTS ON FIRE – The statement is not accurate and makes a ridiculous claim.

PolitiFact Florida still publishes what was apparently the original standard PolitiFact definition of "Half True." PolitiFact National revised its definition in 2011, adding "partially" to the definition so it read "The statement is partially accurate but leaves out important details or takes things out of context."

PolitiFact uses the updated definition on its main page, and directs readers to PolitiFact's main "principles" page for more information.

It's not even clear if PolitiFact Florida's main page links to PolitiFact Florida's "About" page. It may be a vestigial limb of sorts, helping us trace PolitiFact's evolution.

In one sense, the inconsistency means relatively little. After all, PolitiFact's founder, Bill Adair, has himself said that the "Truth-O-Meter" ratings are "entirely subjective." That being the case, it matters little whether "partially" occurs in the definition of "Half True."

The main problem from the changing definition comes from PolitiFact's irresponsible publication of candidate "report cards" that supposedly help voters decide which candidate they ought to support.

Why should subjective report cards make any difference in preferring one candidate over another?

The changing definition creates one other concern--one that I've written about before: Academic researchers (who really ought to know better) keep trying to use PolitiFact's ratings as though they represent reliable truth measurements. That by itself is a preposterous idea, given the level of subjectivity inherent in PolitiFact's system. But the inconsistency of the definition of "Half True" makes it even sillier.

PolitiFact's repeated failure to fix the problems we point out helps keep us convinced that PolitiFact checks facts poorly. We think a left-leaning ideological bubble combined with the Dunning-Kruger effect best explains PolitiFact's behavior in these cases.

Reminder: PolitiFact made a big to-do about changing the label "Barely True" to "Mostly False," but shifted the definition of "Half True" without letting the public in on the long-running discrepancy.

Too much transparency?

New music: Frankie Rose "Red Museum"

How long has it been since I last posted a music video.

No matter. Here's a new one by Frankie Rose.

Just trying something

Having trouble uploading to Tineye, so I'm publishing this here to give a URL to see if that helps.

Deep Purple: "Time for Bedlam"

Looks like Deep Purple will produce another magical album (again with the help of producer Bob Ezrin) with the upcoming release of Infinite.

This advance track serves as evidence:

Nifty Music: "Hello Today" by Black Honey

One of my favorite new(ish) bands of 2016.

Florida primary vote 2016: Switching parties?

Okay, here's a voting anecdote from the 2016 primary election.

This year's vote includes the goofy populists Donald Trump and Bernie Sanders. Trump claims to have appeal to Democrats. Sanders claims to have appeal to Republicans.

I've heard talk about Democrats voting Republican to help set up a Trump vs. Democrat national election final that favors the Democrat. I'm not aware of any solid evidence supporting this type of charge. But my anecdote may relate.



Part One

Upon arriving at my precinct, I saw a woman coming out of the precinct complaining that "someone" changed her party. She appeared irate, and I inferred that the the change in registration affected her ability to vote for her favored candidate.

An election worker asked the woman to what party she had been switched. For the sake of my own curiosity I wish she had answered the question, but she did not.

Part Two

Upon getting in line to have my photo ID and signature matched, I overheard a woman ahead of me in line request a change in her party registration. To me it sounded like the election worker described a way the woman could change her party and vote in the primary. But according to this article the deadline for changing parties was Feb. 16, 2016.

It's certainly possible that I received the wrong impression about what the woman was told about changing her party. I would not allege any impropriety based on my impression of what I heard.

Conclusion

What does it all mean?

Maybe nothing. While I don't recall ever hearing anything at the polling station about changing party affiliations, perhaps I was keyed to pay more attention to the issue because of the reports I have heard. Or maybe changing parties was discussed in my presence in the past and I just don't remember it.

Lindsey Cohen: "Unhappy Ending"

I'm eager to post a new video from Miranda Lee Richards' new album, but meanwhile here's a song I like from Lindsey Cohen.



I don't quite get the video. I have nothing against girls dancing around or lying in a heap on the floor. I just don't see how it relates to this particular song.

Sometimes I think video directors are simply determined to make sure they hire some dancers.

Cool song, though.

Rival Sons: "Pressure and Time"

I haven't been listening to the Rival Sons long enough to have a favorite song yet. I heard they opened for Deep Purple on a European tour and so checked out the group.

Wow.

It's like Led Zeppelin with a dash of White Stripes. The sound is classic rock with constant nods to the blues, with many of the songs clocking in near a White Stripish 3 minutes or so. The singer can really wail and demonstrates impressive versatility. The band is excellent, and the guitarist knows how to lay down a riff.



Yeah, you'll probably think of Zeppelin when you listen, but on top of that you'll be going "This is a great song!" "What a riff!" "Man, that guy can really sing!"

Check it out.