the bird on fire

My Favorite Foods Around the World, Ranked

September 28, 2022 by szachik@pvs.org Leave a Comment

By Junior Levi Kassinove

What is culture without food? Personally, when I visit a different country, I am only focused on the food. I couldn’t care less about the landmarks and tourist attractions. Sometimes the differing behavior is interesting though, like how in India people eat with their hands (theculturetrip.com). Other than slightly different mannerisms, the food is the only part of the culture that is worth experiencing in my opinion. It’s the only thing that differs so drastically from place to place, even within countries. I should mention that these rankings aren’t necessarily the best tasting foods I’ve ever had, but the ones that are most interesting from least to greatest. Without further ado, here are my most interesting foods from around the world.

Red Snapper Nigiri at Musashi, Palm Desert

Since we are going around the world (not including places I haven’t been to, such as Africa and Asia), I think it is appropriate to start locally. This dish is obviously Japanese, and Musashi is not located in Japan, but I want to start this list by highlighting the variety of cultures in the United States. Because of the mixed nature of the U.S., it is possible to get pretty much any type of food. Perhaps in most cases the foreign dishes will not be the same quality as served in their homeland, but I believe Musashi serves fantastic sushi. The red snapper nigiri, in particular, is blowtorched and finished with a yuzu-based garnish. Its instant burst of citrus is accented by the complex flavor of the torched red snapper, leaving a pleasant and exquisite aftertaste. While the food at Musashi is excellent, for the vast majority of sushi restaurants in the United States, I order without wasabi because it is extremely unlikely that they will serve actual ground wasabi root. Rather, most restaurants will serve a horseradish based substitute due to the difficulty of growing wasabi (businessinsider.com). That is an example of the quality difference between the U.S. and other countries.

My Experience at Pujol and Quintonil, Mexico City

This is mole: Pujol, *mole madre, mole nuevo*. The dark ring on the outside is aged mole. The inner red is fresh mole (i1.sndcdn.com).

Pictured: Quintonil, charcoal roasted chicken (theworlds50best.com)

One of the things that I did not expect to try in Mexico City was ant larvae. At both of these restaurants I was served some variation of it; Quintonil served it mixed with avocado, and Pujol served it on a puffed tortilla. Pujol is hands down the best restaurant I’ve ever been to, and currently it’s rated as the 5th best restaurant in the world (worlds50best.com). When I went there, I believe it was ranked 12th. Quintonil is currently 9th, and when I went there it was ranked around 20th. So, if you can get into these places, I highly recommend them. I remember at Quintonil I had for dessert a cake made of huitlacoche, which is a fungus that grows on corn (en.wikipedia.org). It is considered a delicacy in Mexico, and it was definitely interesting to eat, so it goes on my list. At Pujol I distinctly remember their dish, mole madre, mole nuevo, which is mole aged for 1000 days paired with freshly made mole. Mole is a dish traditionally made with peppers and chocolate; the exact ingredients of which vary between Mexican grandmas (en.wikipedia.org).

France and Spain

There isn’t much to be said about these countries that hasn’t already been said. The bread in France being good is an understatement. A croissant from any cafe in France makes a croissant from a local coffee shop in the U.S. taste like Wonder Bread. Seafood from Spain is absolutely delicious, especially Spanish octopus. My favorite food in Spain, however, is undoubtedly Jamón ibérico de Bellota. It is widely regarded as the best ham in the world, as the pigs are pampered and run wild in oak forests, eating mostly acorns, chestnuts, and grass (Jamon iberico-Wikipedia). The highest grade of Jamón ibérico de Bellota is pata negra, which is reserved for only the pure-bred Iberian pigs. Pata negra literally translates to black foot, a trait only pure breds have, so a good way to tell if a leg of jamón is genuinely pata negra is to look at the foot. The term is even used as slang to mean “the best” in Spain. It is absolutely delicious and widely available in Spain, like truffles in Italy. On the topic of meat, steak is excellent in France if you accept the way they prepare it. The French cook their steaks the only real way, which is bloody rare. I ordered a medium rare steak once in France, and they served me one of the rarest steaks I’ve ever eaten besides tartar. It was incredible. Unbelievably tender. I highly recommend it for the students going on the upcoming trip to France.

Conclusion

Food is one of the defining features of each culture. Recently, I’ve been interested in exotic fruits. Many of the fruits that I have learned about this year have never been heard of by my peers. Have you ever heard of a mangosteen? The LA Times called it “arguably the world’s most delicious tropical fruit” (latimes.com). Perhaps I’ll rank the world’s greatest fruits next. Mangosteen would be pata negra. If you have a food that you think deserves to be on this list, please tell me in the comments below.

History Of The Cahuilla

September 27, 2022 by szachik@pvs.org Leave a Comment

I asked the Blog Staff to look into a country or culture of interest, to take us there, let us experience something of daily life that might not be our own. Penny takes us home. And, home for Penny and her ancestors is the Coachella Valley. If you’ve been hiking in the canyons to the south of Palm Springs, you may have visited Penny’s own “Andreas” Canyon.
Blog Advisor Zachik

By 7th-Grader Penny Andreas

The Coachella Valley has been around for quite awhile, along with its native tribes and cultures. One tribe specifically, the band of the Cahuilla Indians, has called the desert home for generations. I am native, and it’s important to keep our stories alive, along with our traditions. The Cahuilla natives have been around for thousands of years, but there are many different versions of how they ended up in the Andreas Canyon. One of them is told by Alejo Patencio, a tribal spiritual leader. It begins with two brothers Mukat and Temayawut, who were born by a swirling mass of color when the world started. At their birth, Mukat and Temayawut created all of the oceans, mountains, and the sky.

Then, the two brothers made the first people. Mukat chose to create humans by carving black mud and carefully sculpting. Temayawut decided to use white mud, and hastily carve them. When they were both done, compared to Mukat’s, Temayawut’s looked unrefined and rushed. After arguing about whose people were better, Temayawut decided to leave Mukat. So overall, Mukat is said to be the creator of the Cahuilla. This lesson and overall beginning shows that it is better to take time and not rush things.

Bird Singing And Dancing

One thing that is extremely important in this tribe is its ceremonial Bird singing. Bird singing often tells the story of lessons that were learned about life, such as the origin and migration. Bird singers, when performing, will always have an instrument called a rattle. The Cahuilla bird singers have been using rattles for thousands of years, even before the Europeans came. Just as your fingerprint is yours individually, that’s what a rattle is like. Each one is completely different from the others. However, every rattle is made the same. The holder must pick out a squash or gourd from a vine, and then boil it in water for 20 minutes, and it is often filled with pebbles to keep the gourd or squash from floating above the water. After it has become hard and completely dried out, they fill it with seeds of spirit. The seeds come from places you love and value. For instance, my favorite place is Andreas canyon. (If I was a bird singer, I might put palm-tree seeds in my rattle.) From the seeds is where you get the steady beat of the rattle. When men tend to always sing, the women dance. Every bird dancer has their own bird dancing dress. They choose patterns and colors they think reflect themselves.

These are a few examples of bird dresses (takookmedia.com).

The Cahuilla Social System

I’ve grown up with Cahuilla teachings. To understand clearly the structure of the Cahuilla social system, I suggest you visit the Agua Calienta Band of Cahuilla Indians website. I’ve borrowed the following information from aguacaliente.org.

Moieties

The Cahuilla are divided into two groups known as Wildcat (tukat) and Coyote (Isil). These Moieties, based on native blood percentage, are believed to originate from when the Cahuilla first started, which guided marriage rules among people. Only one group can marry another member from their group.

Clans

Within each Moiety, the Cahuilla were set into clans, and it wasn’t until the 19th century when they started to work together. The present-day Agua Caliente is now made up of the three clans: Kauisik, Panik, and Wanakik.

Lineages

Lineages are made up of extended families inside a clan, with a man leading each household. Every lineage had its own food gathering areas and village.

Every culture in the world is important, and every culture has its own story. Every story even has its own lesson. I think it’s very important to share these stories and spread culture. I encourage you to spread your stories with the world!

The Greatest Automobiles of the Decades . . . according to Luke

September 20, 2022 by szachik@pvs.org 1 Comment

By Junior Luke Sonderman

As you may have figured out in my previous posts, I am a bit of an auto geek. I usually always discuss newer cars that are post-2000, but I want to take a little dive into my favorite cars of each decade–starting in the 1950s. Although I tend to favor muscle cars, I’m going to really try to expand my list all the way from trucks to race cars.

The 50s

My favorite car of the 50s would easily have to be the 1952 Ferrari 212 Barchetta. I discovered this car because the band Rush wrote a song about it called “Red Barchetta.” After discovering what a “red barchetta” was, I found this 50s race car. I’d never seen anything like it. Only 82 of the 1952 Ferrari 212 Barchettas were made, and recently one was auctioned off at a whopping price of 7.5 million dollars (topspeed.com). With a 2.5 liter V-12 engine and 160 horsepower, this little car was a great race car and also well equipped to be road driven (topspeed.com).

The 60s

I will try to keep the amount of Mustangs on this list to a minimum, although it will be very hard for me. But for the 60s, the 1965 Mustang GT Fastback is by far #1 on my list. Probably the coolest car ever, this was the first real year of production for the Mustang line. This body style is what set the foundation for the many Mustangs to come, including the latest models. When I think of American muscle, I think of this car.

The 70s

For the 70s I am going to slip away from the performance vehicles and throw in the 1975 Ford Bronco. The 1975 Ford Bronco is one of the most wanted vintage cars today and is one of the most beautiful cars that you’ll see cruising the coast of California. Although the Broncos are incredibly unreliable, they are very easy cars to fix and have many interchangeable parts with other Ford trucks.

The 80s

I’m going to take a little bit of a jump in price for the 80s. The 1988 Lamborghini Countach is arguably the sexiest car ever. Featured in one of my favorite movies, The Wolf Of Wall Street, the Countach is my favorite car from the 80s. The 12-cylinder engine produces 450 horsepower which may not sound like a lot, but 450 horsepower in the 80s is comparable to 750-800 horsepower today (motortrend.com).

The 90s

Although this car’s design has only had very minimal design changes over the decades, the 1995 Porsche 911 Turbo S Coupe has to be one of my favorites of this list. This 911 is a fast, well-handling, and slick sports car. With a roaring 6-cylinder engine, this car has a whopping top speed of 183mph (excellence-mag.com).

Modified 1995 Porsche 911 Carrera 3.8L 6-Speed

The 2000s

Okay, I promise this will be the last Mustang I talk about, but I would feel wrong if I didn’t put my car on here. The 2008 Mustang is what most people think of when they think of a Mustang muscle car. It has the classic pony style body and was one of the most widely produced Mustangs. I personally have the 6 cylinder, not the 8 cylinder, but the 8-cylinder GT is a powerhouse of a car.

The 2010s

It may seem bizarre, but my favorite car of the 2010s is the 2018 Toyota 4Runner TRD Pro. It is just a cool looking truck. Although I am a Ford guy, I have to go with Toyota on their trucks because they are just so good looking. The TRD Pro comes in a 6-cylinder engine and can be ordered with different off road and sport packages.

The 2020s

For the 2020s I gotta stick with Toyota with the 2022 Toyota Tundra TRD. The 2022 Tundra TRD has the big classic Tundra build with a blacked-out grill. It also comes with turbo-charged V6 that has the power of a V8 but the gas mileage of a 6 cylinder.

There’s no telling what Luke will be driving in the 2030s. Perhaps he’ll go old-school Mustang. Perhaps it’ll be hovercraft. What’s been your favorite vehicle over the years?

The Place I Would Like to See

September 20, 2022 by szachik@pvs.org Leave a Comment

If Alyna could go anywhere back in history, she’d go to the opulent Titanic . . . , only to helicopter out before any iceberg appeared on the scene.

By Junior Alyna Rei

There are many places in the world I would like to see. The places I would love to visit are pretty well known. Something I would like to experience is the Titanic before it sinks. I want to see the atmosphere and the feeling of the biggest ship on water. Obviously, I’d rather not see or live through the end of the Titanic and the ship sinking. I’m basing what I envision of the Titanic off of the 1997 film. It was that lavish movie that gave me the idea of writing this post.

Who do I want to see on the Titanic?

From the 1997 film of the Titanic, I would love to see Rose and Jack and how two opposites fall in love. (I am aware that they never existed). Another person I would love to meet is the captain. Hearing how the Titanic launched would be very fascinating to hear. Perhaps we could converse over a many-course dinner.

What would I like to see?

Just being on the ship would make me happy. One of the many things I would like to see are the two parties, the rich and the poor. I would like to experience both–whether that is a fancy dinner with royalty or an energetic dance party with hundreds of people, I would beg to see any of those scenes. Another iconic and popular setting I would love to see or rather stand on is the very front of the ship, the bow. I want to stand in that tiny space and see the dolphins and flowing water below me with the sunset in the distance.

Why the Titanic?

The Titanic was one of the most iconic creations on the planet. And to see how it was in the film makes me want to be there. I want to feel what the people felt boarding the ship. I want to taste the delicious food. I want to see the water and beautiful sunsets from the deck of this huge ship.

Since the Titanic is not with us right now, or at least above water, other places I would like to see are the cool museums that honor the Titanic and have the coolest facts about the ship. Some of these museums are in Springfield, Belfast, Southampton, etc. I believe those museums are the closest I will be to the Titanic.

Слава*

September 20, 2022 by szachik@pvs.org Leave a Comment

By Junior Remy Haring

Junior Remy Haring continues with his third installment of his serial fiction inspired by The New Order–a mod for Hearts of Iron IV. If you recall, Remy visits an alternate dark history here, where, in WWII, the Axis powers have won.

Outskirts of Zeya, Amur, the Russian Far East, January 24, 1962

It was the crack of dawn. I left the house garbed in a ski mask, winter camo and snow boots. It was time to check the snares I left out in the forest for small game. The air was crisp and cold with not a cloud in sight. After 15 minutes of trudging through the dense thickets crowned with snow, I finally reached the clearing where I left a trap. A snow hare was hanging from the wire. After carrying it back to the house, I produced a skinner knife and got to work. Look, it’s not a pleasant job, but people need furs, and I need to eat.

When I finished the job, I cleaned the hide, rolled it up and carved the rest for food. I rolled up the pelt, put the meat in the freezer, and set off for Zeya. When going down the road, I saw what transpired the night before: deep boot tracks and, next to them, a deep indent in the snow implying something heavy was dragged. Blood stained the snow. Ahead of all of that, tire tracks. Damn, I thought, they must have got Kozlov. After following the dirt road for a while, I finally made it to Zeya. It was a bleak little coal town that was divided into two by the river. The only way to get from one side to the other was by crossing the old, decrepit hydroelectric dam that has been offline since the war. One side was where most of the higher ups of the RFP lived. The cluster of houses almost looked like an ideal American suburb if it weren’t for the drab paint and withered roads. The next area was where most of the Russians lived. It consisted of these massive, concrete bricks for apartments that looked like they were about to fall apart. Near the coal mine to the west was where the undesirables lived: non-Russians, non-Orthodox, etc. Their dwellings were little more than hovels huddling around the mines. Some were made of metal scrap, others logs. Some people had nothing and huddled around fires for warmth.

As I walked down the main street, I couldn’t help but feel a creeping dread. The crisp, cool air turned stale, and barely anyone was out. Lifeless buildings towered above me like the corpses of giants. I could hear the echoes of my footsteps, the snow boots crunching against the snow. I looked to my left to see pockmarks on a wall and below that a line of shoes. I could have sworn I saw a couple casings in the snow, but I could not be sure. Directly in front of me, I came across a dead tree draped with nooses–more than normal.

Despite every fiber in my body telling me to turn back, that I would be next, I kept walking through the snow. In the distance I heard a crowd chanting, “Slava Rodzaevsky, slava Russia!” Then I heard the rhythmic tramping of boots and the roaring engine of a truck. Despite the thick cover of snow, I could see a crowd of people waving flags at an intersection. When I finally reached the crowd, I saw legions of Blackshirts marching, rusty bayonets pointing into the air like missiles, and a tank roaring through the street. At the far end of the street, I saw him: Konstantin Rodzaevsky, vozhd of the new Russia. He was standing at a podium with Blackshirts on his left and right. With a raise of his hand, the crowd fell silent, and he began to speak:

“Citizens of the Amur, it is time for us to water the flower of our new Russia with the blood of her enemies–Mikhail Matkovsky and his godless heathens of Magadan to the north and Grigory Semyonov and his illegitimate puppet of a Tsar and the “monarchy” of Chita to the west. Once these enemies are defeated, we shall all be unified as the holy and pious people of Amur. We recognize that a true Russian state cannot be without God and yet must do away with the Tsars of old, for we are the true heirs of Harbin. With aid from the Japanese, our Blackshirts will march to the Sea of Okhotsk to the north and Lake Baikal to the west, and we will win. For we have God and the state on our side. Then, our land will have been purged of all who shall stop our efforts, and a new Russia shall be created.”

After his speech ended, the crowd erupted in cheers. The word ura rang throughout Zeya as the crowd roiled in ecstacy.

*Glory

If I Got Sucked into a Time Portal and Went to the Middle Ages

September 13, 2022 by szachik@pvs.org 2 Comments

When asked to illuminate a historical period, Levi opted to time travel back to the Middle Ages. His reasons are less . . . humanitarian in nature.
Blog Advisor Zachik

By Levi Kassinove

Some people want to go back in time to kill Hitler, others to their favorite time in history, but I think that the Middle Ages is the best time period to go to. Imagine how fun it’d be to mess with people who don’t know science. I would, however, need to take careful steps to avoid getting burned at the stake.

Part 1: Bringing my Phone

There are many things to do with a phone in the Middle Ages, as long as it’s not directly shown to the people. If someone sees me on my phone, they will think that I can create moving pictures, and therefore burn me at the stake for witchcraft. The best thing that I can do is play ghost sounds and hide the phone underneath some hay or in my pocket as I walk through the streets at night. I could also trick them into thinking I’m an absolute genius by being omniscient, such as knowing when an eclipse would happen and being able to predict when some person of interest would get assassinated. Google is my friend during the Middle Ages. I will be a god.

Note: I will bring a bag of portable chargers, and, since I have time travel technology, I will use an Einstein-Cell-Service-Time-Bridge that gives my phone wifi in the Middle Ages.

guiaviajesvirtual.com

Part 2: Immortality

In my rampage of destroying all medieval logic (and modern logic), I will also cease to be affected by the common causes of illness. Water will not give me dysentery because I will boil it, nor will I do anything stupid like eat mercury or whatever they were doing back then. Certainly I would inspect the bread, as it could be infected with ergot, a fungus that can kill you and cause nightmarish hallucinations. I will also protect myself against wound infections by using high-alcohol beverages as antibiotics. I will outlive my peers and therefore be hailed as the immortal genius god emperor. I will need to feign illnesses so as to not raise suspicion, which I will do by coughing occasionally and talking about how bad my diarrhea was last night.

Part 3: Inevitably Getting Burned at the Stake

Not only will I talk completely differently than everyone, but I will also behave much differently. One slip of “dude” and I’m on fire. Plus, I will probably forget to wash my noble’s sheep, which will result in a brutal execution (bustle.com).

allthatsinteresting.com

My unknown memories

September 8, 2022 by szachik@pvs.org 1 Comment

I tasked the blog staff with bringing to life a historical period. Penny chose to return to the earliest moments of her life, to those moments she was too young to recall. After doing some research with her mother, she pieces together what those moments might have looked like to an older “Penny” who visits and observes.
Blog Advisor Zachik

By Penny Andreas, Middle-School Blog Correspondent

December 31, 2009

The hallways were quiet. I walked down the maroon hallway, the floor creaking underneath. I heard laughter. I heard a mother, with a sweet and caring voice. A father, speaking with pride. As I walked through the hall, a door appeared. I slowly walked up to it. I held the cold bronze door handle, connected to the dark oak door. I opened it, finding a small room with a couch, table, TV, and a bookshelf. The mother was sitting on the floor, holding her child. And the father, sitting on the couch reading. I walked around the room, noticing small things. The fish bowl. The one chair in the corner. The stack of cards on the table. My mother. I walked up to her and sat down. She sang to the baby, “Hush little baby, don’t say a word. Momma’s gonna find you a hummingbird.” I immediately recognized the song. She sang it to me every night. My small crib. My blankets. My walls painted purple. My dark brown desk. My fluffy blue carpet.

My father takes the baby to sit on the couch and turns on the TV. He plays a show. It’s black and white, with many characters. He looks at the baby, and says, “Penny.”

December 27, 2011

I’m walking down the hallway again. The floor is not wood, but concrete. This time, to my left is the door, and it’s light brown with a copper handle. I open the door, but this time I’m in a different room. It’s big, and open. There’s a small bed sitting in the corner, along with a nightstand. There are numerous drawings hanging on the walls, obviously made by a toddler. At the window, there’s a girl seated, playing with toys. The curtains are open so light comes through. She talks to herself, perhaps solving a conflict. I walk towards her and realize she does not see me. Instead of talking to her, I sit next to her. I start to understand what she’s saying. “The princess is locked up in the tower! Someone must save her!!!” I laugh to myself, amused by her emotions and such enthusiasm. Then I look at her face, and realize…it’s my face.

December 24, 2013

Walking through the hallways again, it’s not plain. The same drawings are on the wall, and photos of that same girl with my face and my name. I stopped abruptly in the hallway. Could that girl have been me? Suddenly I found myself in a hotel room, the great windows showing a view of downtown. The two king-sized beds packed with sheets are in the corner. I see three suitcases. I remember seeing them somewhere. One of them is open, with a gift inside. I find the little girl again, sitting on the floor. She is speaking to someone, with a nervous crack in her voice. “Do you think my mom will be okay? Am I really going to be a sister?” I know who she’s talking to. I know exactly who it is. My grandma. And I know exactly who the girl is. I know exactly who I am.

What should a 9,000-pound electric vehicle sound like?

September 7, 2022 by szachik@pvs.org Leave a Comment

Each Wednesday I challenge the Blog Staff to a creative prompt.
I borrowed this week’s prompt from The New Yorker Magazine’s Instagram:

“A zero-emissions vehicle has obvious benefits for the environment,
but a quiet car is a mixed blessing for the public good.” For
distracted pedestrians, engine sounds signal a car is coming.
What if they can’t hear it? So, electric-vehicle companies are
trying to come up with a sound for their noiseless cars.

Our bloggers answered the question: What should a 9,000-pound electric vehicle sound like?

Here are a few of their responses:

Indy Behr:

Since pedestrians are already used to the roaring sound of a gas engine being a sign that a car is coming, I think that if electric cars had a speaker that simply played the sound of a gas car, no one would have to adjust their expectations. If we had a beep or something like that to signify an electric car approaching many people would take time to become acquainted with this, and during that transition period I imagine more people would be struck by cars. Therefore, the sound of a gas engine would be a perfect solution.

Levi Kassinove:

Option One: Silence. 1 minute of complete silence, interrupted halfway by the faint sound of a child laughing. This is followed by 3 minutes of silence, interrupted for 2 times at random intervals by leaves rustling and a stick breaking. 10 minutes of silence will now go by, followed abruptly by screams of utter horror as the car has now become sentient and is actively trying to make the driver crash. People miss the sound of their gas engines? Well, now they’ll be begging for quiet.

Option Two: Play “Goin’ Down the Road Feeling Bad” by Grateful Dead on repeat.

And the class favorite . . . .

Penny Andreas:

Vroom vroom vroom vroom vroom vroom vroom vroom vroom vroom vroom vroom vroom vroom vroom vroom vroom vroom Vroom vroom vroom vroom vroom vroom vroom vroom vroom vroom vroom vroom vroom vroom vroom vroom vroom vroom Vroom vroom vroom vroom vroom vroom vroom vroom vroom vroom vroom vroom vroom vroom vroom vroom vroom vroom Vroom vroom vroom vroom vroom vroom vroom vroom vroom vroom vroom vroom vroom vroom vroom vroom vroom vroom Vroom vroom vroom vroom vroom vroom vroom vroom vroom vroom vroom vroom vroom vroom vroom vroom vroom vroom

Do you have a suggestion? Should our electric cars beep? roar? play music? hum? purr? Play along. Leave your contribution in the Comments.

We Need to Abolish the Electoral College

September 7, 2022 by szachik@pvs.org 1 Comment

We’re concluding our look at causes. Indiana, who feels strongly about many things, expresses passion for the Electoral College–not for keeping it, but for abolishing it.
Blog Advisor Zachik

By Indy Behr, Junior

What is the Electoral College?

In the United States, Presidential elections are not actually decided by the people directly. They are decided by a compromise made between the Founding Fathers in the Constitution called the electoral college. A candidate wins the election by winning at least 270 of the 538 possible electoral votes. Voters decide how a group of electors vote, and these electoral votes are then certified every four years on a day you may recall, January 6, and the events that transpired on this day in 2021 have led to the Electoral Count Reform Act being introduced in Congress, which would make several changes to the electoral college certification process such as establishing the Vice President’s role in certifying the vote as ceremonial and raising the objection threshold to 20% of both the House and Senate, as opposed to the current system where only one member of each body is required to object.

The electoral college is an antidemocratic institution that allows a minority of voters to determine the future of our country, and it no longer has any use. I believe that America cannot truly be referred to as a democracy until the electoral college is abolished, and until then, serious reform is required.

*Supporters of former President Donald Trump* *storm the US Capitol* *as a Joint Session of Congress is counting the electoral votes of the 2020 Presidential election.*

Disproportionate Representation

If anyone should be upset about the electoral college, it should be us Californians. Wyoming, the least populated state in the US, has 581,000 citizens, according to the US Census Bureau. Due to its size, Wyoming has only one Representative in the House of Representatives and, like all states, two Senators. The amount of electoral votes a state receives is simply the amount of people in their Congressional delegation. This means that in Wyoming, one electoral vote represents 135,000 citizens. California has a population of 39,538,000, and has 55 electoral votes (this will change to 54 in the 2024 Presidential election). Therefore, one electoral vote represents 712,000 people. However, one electoral vote represents just 195,000 people in Wyoming. Yes, you heard that right, a voter in Wyoming has more than three times the voting power as someone in California. Some Republicans argue that Democratic voters concentrated in big cities choosing who wins in the end is unfair, but guess what? That is where the actual people live!

Forgotten States

Another issue with the electoral college means that during a Presidential election most states are not visited by candidates, and most states don’t even see candidates’ TV ads as there is no point. This is because some states are so partisan that it is near impossible for a candidate to win. The fact that candidates feel that trying to promote their candidacies to voters is a waste of time is incredibly problematic in my opinion, and unfortunately the candidates are indeed making a strategic decision in this case. The electoral college is for the most part a winner-takes-all system, meaning that regardless of how narrow or wide a statewide win is, all electoral votes go to the winner, with the exception of Maine and Nebraska. In 2020, six million Californians voted for Donald Trump, and two million Ohioans voted for Joe Biden. Despite this making up almost 10% of the total popular vote, these people never had their voice heard. Donald Trump never made a single visit to California because he knew that it was simply impossible to outright win the state, meaning winning swing votes would not benefit him. In this model presented by the New York Times, we can see that TV-ad buys in the 2020 Presidential election were concentrated in just a few states. California did not have a single ad! Trump and Republicans spent many millions on ads in Florida and won in the end, and yet he won one million more votes in California than in Florida. In spite of this, California’s winner-takes-all system gave all electoral votes to Biden, and Florida gave all electoral votes to Trump.

Faithless Electors

Though luckily in 2020 we did not see any, in 2016 we saw a massive uptick in what are known as faithless electors, likely due to both major party candidates being relatively unpopular. Many people do not realize this, but electors are actual individuals assigned to vote for one party in the event they win. These electors are selected by the state party of the winning candidate. However, in almost half of the states, electors are able to vote for another candidate regardless of the will of the voters. Trump was expected to win 306 electors, yet only won 304. Clinton won 227 instead of 232. Seven of the 538 total electors voted faithlessly. Do you know who Faith Spotted Eagle is? I didn’t, yet she won an electoral vote in 2016. The late Colin Powell, George W. Bush’s Secretary of State, won three electoral votes. Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) won two electoral Vice Presidential votes, one being with Powell, one from Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT).

In 2016, Hilary Clinton won the state of Washington over 500,000 votes, or 15.7%, yet a whopping 33% of the electors voted for candidates who did not appear on the ballot. Though some of these candidates received a small amount of write-in votes, Powell won three votes, or 25% of the total electors, with a grand total of zero votes. In 2004, John Edwards was Democrat John Kerry’s running mate, and yet in Minnesota he received both the Presidential and Vice Presidential nod from one elector. And, because these slates of electors are selected by the victor’s party, these electors are often relatives of politicians or retired lobbyists. Both former President Bill Clinton (D) and his wife Hillary Clinton (D) were Biden electors in New York, as were the New York City Comptroller and the Temporary President of NY’s State Senate. A Florida State Senator, Keith Perry (R), was a Trump elector in Florida. The only disqualifying factors for electors are being an incumbent US Senator or Representative, and since the Civil War, having engaged in rebellion or insurrection against the country.

Faithless Colorado elector Michael Baca casts his ballot in 2016. He chose to support a former Ohio Governor, Republican John Kasich, rather than Hillary Clinton.

Popular Vote Winners Losing

In 1824, 1876, 1888, 2000, and 2016, the individual who won a plurality, or in 1876, an outright majority of the popular vote, lost the election. The electoral college gives so much more power to residents of smaller states that in 2016, despite winning the popular vote by 2.8 million or 2% in 2016, Hillary Clinton lost by 77 electors. In 2000, Democrat Al Gore defeated Republican George W. Bush by over 500,000 in the popular vote yet lost by five electoral votes in the end, or four if you do not recognize a faithless elector who did not vote at all. In the end, the conservative-dominated Supreme Court forced Florida to end an ongoing recount, and according to CNN, “The studies also show that Gore likely would have won a statewide recount of all undervotes and overvotes, which are ballots that included multiple votes for president and were thus not counted at all . . . . The studies also support the belief that more voters went to the polls in Florida on Election Day intending to vote for Gore than for Bush.”

Florida vote counters try to determine which candidate was selected on a ballot in 2000.

Conclusion

To me, it is very clear we need to abolish the electoral college. However, this would require a Constitutional amendment which has an approximately 0% chance of passing within my lifetime. It would require 67% of both the House and Senate to pass, which itself is completely impossible considering the Senate also has the issue of disproportionately representing smaller states, and it then would require 38 states to ratify it through their legislatures, even more unlikely. So, in the meantime, we are going to have to continue dealing with the electoral college. However, we can support reform so that we can scrap the winner-takes-all system like Nebraska and Maine have done, and we can also support banning faithless electors. But, if you really want your voice heard, your only option is to move to a swing state like Wisconsin.

Though support among Republicans has dropped, most people still support abolishing the electoral college as of 2018.

Politeness is a Waste of Time

September 6, 2022 by szachik@pvs.org Leave a Comment

The Bird on Fire staff bloggers are tasked with writing about a cause. Here, Levi opts to go after the glue that holds together our society–politeness and small talk. It nearly goes without saying, the opinions of Levi do not necessarily represent the views of The Bird on Fire.
Blog Advisor Zachik

By Levi Kassinove, Junior

Dear Readers, given the comprehensive, semi-scientific post of last week, I feel you deserve a break. It’s time for a lighthearted post about why polite people are living a lie.
— Levi

Recently, on vacation, my friends and I were walking outside at night in the desert. Without giving too many details so as to not embarrass anyone, there were scorpions roaming around, and we needed a UV light to see them. We did not have a UV light. We walked around nonchalantly, accepting our situation, until a lady walked up to us and offered to let us borrow her UV flashlight. One of my friends fought absolute TOOTH AND NAIL for her to not give it to us. My friend repeatedly told her, “Oh you don’t have to, you really don’t have to,” to which the lady responded, “I insist. You guys are children and you should have fun.” This exchange kept going until I interrupted and said that I would like to use the light to see the scorpions. My friend grimaced and told me that I didn’t know how to handle social interaction. We had a great time looking at the formerly invisible scorpions in the night. We took pictures and gazed in awe at their beauty. Personally, I, along with some other people with us, had never seen scorpions in the wild before. It was a cool opportunity. Anyway, the point is that this would have never happened if my people-pleaser friend had successfully shooed the light-lending lady away. The lady had offered us a UV light that she already owned. She insisted that we try it out. So why fight out of politeness? It harms both parties in this case, since the lady seemed to genuinely want us to have fun. This exchange is an example of one of the many reasons why it is a bad habit to be unnecessarily polite, which is that it can prevent people from taking advantage of opportunities.

Small talk, on the other hand, is something that we’ve all had to endure throughout our lives. Some live for it. I’d say that they aren’t really living. You can forget having a real human connection with the person if you insist on rhetorically asking how the other person is doing. If one person simply gives the other a real answer, the conversation will switch and both parties will let their guard down. So, I say just skip the small talk. Everyone would find it refreshing, unless they don’t have anything to talk about beyond the weather. The people that prefer to stay engaged in small talk are not interesting, and not worth getting to know any further. That is, if there is anything further to know.

Perhaps small talk ties into politeness, if enough people feel that it is common courtesy. Ultimately, however, it is an unnecessary and exhausting exchange between people. And, it won’t provide any information of substance to the other person. To be blunt is to be genuine. I would go insane if people were to only engage in small talk.

Consider this guy Bill who’s asking about the weather, when they are both literally standing outside. Bill has no idea how to respond, as this is a nonsensical question. Be more like Bill.