The Kinkster Is Gettin' Serious, But He Needs My Help!

If Dean Barkley could get The Body elected to any office in Minnesota, let alone governor, this Barkley dude is worth 5 Karl Roves. I heard a while back at a campaign event for the Kinkster that muscle was being imported from Minnesota. Let the suits (and dresses), if Senator Kay Bailey Hutchinson challenges Governor Goodhair, take the Kinkster for granted. The Democrats don't have a party anymore, let alone a candidate. The Kinkster offers another choice besides paper or plastic. After I post this gem to the blog, I'm gonna follow my leader and send e-mail to the Republican stooge who represents me here in Geezerville. By damn, I'm mad as hell and I'm not going to take it anymore. (Peace, Peter Finch.) If this is (fair & balanced optimism, so be it.



[x Austin Fishwrap]
CAMPAIGN WATCH
Kinky may be about to flex some serious political muscle

Keep an eye on author-singer Kinky Friedman later this week. He's expected to harvest help in his independent gubernatorial bid from someone who helped professional wrestler Jesse Ventura win in Minnesota.

Friedman plans to team with Dean Barkley, who ran Ventura's successful campaign for a term as governor and briefly served in the U.S. Senate after Ventura put him in the seat vacated by Paul Wellstone.

Barkley has a knack for tapping into discontent among voters, according to University of Minnesota political scientist Larry Jacobs, who called him a "formidable political talent."

Friedman won't attend a committee hearing Wednesday on House Bill 1721, though his campaign intends to send folks. The proposal by Rep. Todd Baxter, R-Austin, would permit voters in party primary elections to sign a petition enabling another party's candidate to get on the general election ballot.

Only Texas bars primary voters from signing petitions for others, according to the Libertarian Party of Texas, which supports the change.

— W. Gardner Selby

Copyright © 2005 Austin American-Statesman

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Dear Folks,

Today the Texas State House is hearing a bill that could make a difference in Democracy in our state. House Bill 1721 will allow people who vote in a major party primary to sign petitions to put Independent candidates on the ballot.

If you agree that more options for voters is a great thing for the great state of Texas, please email your state rep. and let them know you support HB 1721.

Click here to look up your state representative online.

And then click here to send your rep an email:

As you know, the Kinkster supports any initiative that will help guarantee all Texans the freedom to run for office without having to play ball with the two-party system.

Thanks for your Texas patriotism,
Kinky

Paid For By The Kinky Friedman For Governor Campaign
John McCall, Treasurer, P.O. Box 293910, Kerrville, TX 78029

I Confess: I'm An Info-Maniac!

I knew that there was a connection between my e-mail habit and stupidity. However, I think a loss of 10 IQ points is a tad conservative. In my case, I went from dull normal before I developed my e-mail habit to a severely diminished capacity today. By the time I breathe my last, I expect that I'll be drooling on the keyboard. If this is (fair & balanced) disclosure, so be it.

[x Rocky Mountain News]
E-mails poach IQ: Excessive messages, called 'info-mania,' knock off 10 points
By Kathrine Jebsen Moore, Bloomberg News

Constant e-mailing and text messaging reduces mental ability by 10 IQ points, a more severe effect than smoking cannabis, by distracting the brain from other tasks, a University of London report showed.

The loss of intelligence and disruption caused by electronic "info- mania," costs companies millions of dollars in lost productivity each year, according to the study by the University's Institute of Psychiatry.

"This is a very real and widespread phenomenon," said Dr. Glenn Wilson, author of the research, in a phone interview. "Info-mania, if unchecked, will damage a worker's performance by reducing mental sharpness. Companies should encourage a more balanced and appropriate way of working."

The study of 1,000 adults found that their intelligence declined as tasks were interrupted by incoming e-mails and texts. The average reduction of 10 IQ points, though temporary, is more than double the four-point loss associated with smoking cannabis. A 10-point drop is also associated with missing a night of sleep, the report said.

Sixty-two percent of workers are addicted to checking messages out of office hours and while on vacation, according to the report. A third of all adults will respond to an e-mail immediately or within 10 minutes. One in five is "happy" to interrupt a business or social meeting to respond to an e-mail or text message, the study found.

"E-mails flashing on a screen distracts people, and the use of electronic messaging should be limited," Wilson said.

Women were less affected than men. Their average decline in IQ was five points, compared with 15 for males, suggesting women are better at multitasking, Wilson said.

The study also surveyed opinions on messaging in the workplace. Eighty-nine percent of workers said it's "extremely rude" to answer e-mails and phone messages during a face-to-face meeting. Seventy-two percent were "irritated" by work phone calls held in public places.

The Scotsman newspaper earlier reported the findings of the study, which was commissioned by Hewlett-Packard Co., the world's second-biggest personal-computer maker.

Kathrine Jebsen Moore, based in Edinburgh, writes regularly for Bloomberg News.

Copyright © 2005, Rocky Mountain News. All Rights Reserved.