Paul Haahr

Andrew Sullivan posted this great photo of San Francisco, but I can't quite figure out where it was taken from. I'm pretty sure it's looking east on Russian Hill/Telegraph Hill and I think the well-lit street running from the upper left towards the center of the image is Filbert near Grant, but I've been playing with Google Maps and MapJack and have not be able to get more detailed than that. - Paul Haahr

This photo by Thomas Hawk (http://flickr.com/photos/51035...) is from a similar point of view, I believe, but contains Coit Tower and St Peter & Paul to provide some context. - Paul Haahr

Damn, over my head. I agree it ought to be somewhere up there, on the 2nd hilltop from the east, but I can't find anything that works. Google-- for not providing helicopterview images at rooftop heights. Do we have a map that shows where the Bay Bridge towers are? - j1m

So adorable!! Congratulations! - April Buchheit

Wow! Congrats! - Igor Krivokon

Thanks! - Laurence Gonsalves

Happy 0th Birthday to Alex! - Ruchira S. Datta

I agree with all of Pete's ratings. I'm a bit unsure about prop 11, which seems to have been written by a failed screenwriter, but I guess anything is better than allowing the legislature to gerrymander districts. - Tudor Bosman

Prepare to rage: I'm voting yes on 4. Parents need to know when their kids are having any medical procedure performed just in case something goes wrong when they get home. - Erica Baker

The most interesting story here is that the initiator of Prop 6 *and* Prop 9 (both "tough on crime" laws bordering on vindictive) is currently under federal indictment for backdating stock options and going on drug-fueled prostitution benders. http://articles.latimes.com/20... - Gabe

Aw, that's too bad Erica, I thought you seemed like a sensible person. - ⓞnor

YAY for voting on prop 2!!! - Patricia

I agree with Pete. Erica: you couldn't be more wrong. - Robert Scoble

@Erica i support your intentions, but i think this law is the wrong way to accomplish them... controlling our children will not solve the problem, it will only encourage them to find less controlling means, which means illegal surgeries, which are absolutely more risky... - Jeremy Toeman

I also agree with everybody regarding 4, because i know for fact teens seek alternatives - like having people kick and punch them in stomach, etc. i am pro-prevention - it works! - Patricia

Patricia is right, Erica. Making abortions harder to obtain safely and legally just makes them more likely to happen unsafely and illegally, just like anti-drug laws just make drug users criminals instead of actually preventing drug use. - Gabe

Erica, I almost hate to pile on, but... given the type of violence or even homeless that many teens-with-awful-parents could expect in the context of parental-notification/consent, I think dealing with medical complications after an abortion would pale in comparison in the aggregate. - Adam Lasnik

Studies show that girls who play sports are less likely to have sex or get pregnant as teens are girls who do not..... - Patricia

Holy crap, you go to sleep for a few hours... ;) Ok responding in order: Dan, I'm pretty sensible (most of the time) and to me it seems sensible that parents know when their kid is undergoing any medical procedure. @Robert Tell me why? @Jeremy I made very sure that I read through this prop (because I am 1000% pro-choice and I know that the common view is that this is a pro-life proposition) and it says nothing of seeking parental permission only giving them notification... (cont) - Erica Baker

@Patricia So this is the problem IMO. We fail to teach kids about the reality of sex and in a larger sense (unrelated to sex) fail to teach them how to deal with the consequences of their actions. The reason why kids seek out people to kick and punch them has nothing to do with being scared of domestic violence, its more a problem of not wanting to own up to the situation they've gotten themselves in. @Gabe How is notifying parents making the abortion hard to obtain? Again this isn't a prop to ask... (cont) - Erica Baker

..parental permission, it is only to give notification. If there is some language in there that I missed regarding parents have to approve, I will vote no on this. @Adam Is the violence and being thrown out what happens in the majority of abortions or are these edge or corner cases? I'm all about numbers so if I can see percentages of how many teens suffer domestic violence or being kicked out as a result of pregnancy, it will affect my decision. - Erica Baker

@Patricia There were about 3 girls on my high school basketball team of ~15 that were virgins when I was a junior in high school. Not really sure what that has to do with notification about abortions though. - Erica Baker

Now here is my little story: When I was a teenager, my sister and I became sexually active w/ our respective b/f's. She had a scare which forced us to tell my mom that we'd been having sex . We were both scared shitless. My sister wasn't pregnant but the conversation led to my mom taking both of us to get put on the pill. In the cases of the teens who have sex, get pregnant, get an abortion, and continue having sex without their parents knowledge, there seems like a vicious cycle could be forming there... - Erica Baker

Erica: if you are a good parent you have already had these conversations with your kid. But bad parents kick kids out of the house, or worse, beat their kids when they learn this news. This law will lead to tragedy. - Robert Scoble

...because if they're scared to notify their parents that they're having an abortion, they're probably scared to go to the doctor and get put on the pill. - Erica Baker

@Erica: again, great sentiment/intent, but poor means to accomplish. it's not like a LAW is going to really help kids be LESS scared of unsympathetic parents... - Jeremy Toeman

@Robert Again is the beating and kicking out the exception or the norm? I really REALLY like data so if there is data on this trend, I'd like to see it. - Erica Baker

@Jeremy Everyone keeps citing the mean parents to me but nobody has any data. :( I promise if someone shows me data that says X% of teens face violence at home because of abortion or sexual activity I will most certainly change my mind. - Erica Baker

Erica: who cares? If we lose one teenager to this law through that or suicide that is one too many. Kids are often on the edge anyway. Remember all the school shootings. You want that kind of tragedy on your hands because you are an idealist? - Robert Scoble

@Robert So what happens if we lose ONE teenager to not having the proper post abortion care at home? Then is the law justified? - Erica Baker

To turn it around, how many kids would be saved by this law? - Robert Scoble

The onus of proof is on those who want to change the law. - Robert Scoble

Why should I vote to spend $10 billion for a train to LA? This one I don't get. - todd

@Robert Indeed the onus of proof is on those who want to change the law but when those who are against changing the law keep saying the same thing a) it sounds a bit like a talking point that they're repeating and b) there should be some data to back up their assertions. - Erica Baker

Erica: have we lost one teenager? I doubt it. It would have been all over the news and used by the campaign. My step mom is a social worker and the horrific stuff she sees daily is unbelieveable. Your later messages make me realize you've already decided without doing any homework or thinking about the consequences of real life. Have a nice day. - Robert Scoble

Gah! Robert right now we're debating POV's. Neither of us has any solid information (working on that) so it makes no sense for you to be dismissive because my POV doesn't match yours. However, I am open to being persuaded to vote no on this issue. I have never had to vote on this issue before so when someone says "inform parents that their kids are undergoing a medical procedure" my instinct says yes so that's the way I lean. However lets put it this way: I am undecided on this issue. Convince me with data. - Erica Baker

Erica, it's not a case of domestic violence but that girls WILL try to get rid of the pregnancy themselves and it's worse in my opinion than having the procedure because they could seriously injure themselves. If you'd like me to share the many horror stories from my own school, I'd be happy to. Think coat hangers, drugs, starvation.... And it was middle america. Forcing people to do something is not the answer. In a perfect world, everybody's mom is like yours and every kid is like you, but that is not the reality, unfortunately. - Patricia

As for the sports stat, part of 'pro prevention' is to empower girls, help their esteem/body image, etc. along with teaching safe sex practices. I was just referencing it because I think this kind of stuff, not laws, will truly solve the problem. - Patricia

@Patricia I think that sports thing is just wishful thinking but admittedly, I've been out of high school for 10 years. /me returns to reading the no on 4 and yes on 4 websites. Also if anyone has data they want to share with me (seriously) email it to me at 4facts ~@t~ ericabaker ~dot~ com. - Erica Baker

The Yes on 4 website is very off putting. Very worrisome that it is being called a way to "stop child predators." *sigh* I hate the stupid polarization of issues. http://www.voteforteensafety.c... is for new voters. I guess that's me since I'm a new California voter. /me continues reading. - Erica Baker

Ok found the study that talks about the violence thing: Results are based on a study of a nationally representative sample of 1519 unmarried minors having an abortion in states without parental involvement laws. 61% of respondents stated that 1 or both parents were aware of the abortion, while only 26% of fathers were informed. 57% of informed mothers did not tell their spouse. 75% of parents who knew about the pregnancy had been told by the daughter and the majority supported the youth's decision. Where parents found out without being told by the daughter, 18% of these girls said that parents were forcing an abortion. Further, 6% reported physical violence, being forced to leave home, or damage to parents' health. - Erica Baker

The above came from http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pu... which was cited by http://bixbycenter.ucsf.edu/pu... Still researching. - Erica Baker

OK, but who's not a terrorist these days? - Gabe

Most condescending McCain statement: "I'll bet you, you may never even have heard of [Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac] before this crisis". - Steve Weis

@Steve: Yes... I heard that on the radio and wondered just who is he talking to? Was he looking at an infant when he said that? - Rob Reed

Amit, the link to puzzle 9 isn't working for me--did you have this problem, or work around it? - Ruchira S. Datta

I stalled at level 7. Jumping back in... - Christopher Sacca

Never mind, got to it through a slightly different interface at http://www.twisteroo.com - Ruchira S. Datta

Yes, sorry, the site moved to Twisteroo after I posted this link. - Amit Patel

Well, I did all 12 Intro quotes. Thanks for posting this! - Ruchira S. Datta

Glad you enjoyed it! I'm going to have to try level 10 again now that I've had a full night of sleep. - Amit Patel

Curse you, I just spent twenty minutes getting through level 10 before I saw the time. - Paul Haahr

I checked back at twisteroo to see if there were any new puzzles as I'd done all the ones there on Sunday morning, but now there seem to be less--there was a song lyrics one before ("They paved Paradise to put up a parking lot") which has disappeared. What's up with that? - Ruchira S. Datta

Well, I spoke too soon--there are 6 in the Palindromes category up. The 5th, though, is not a palindrome. - Ruchira S. Datta

Let's do swing state airdrops of leaflets bearing this info. - Christopher Sacca

Just read http://www.taxpolicycenter.org.... McCain's economic policies look worse than Obama's in almost every way: taxes favor the rich (as shown in the graphs above), less people get health care, and the government would have much more debt. - Evan Parker

The two chartjunk tables are among the clearest infographics I've ever seen published on political matters. Great stuff. - Paul Haahr