Ranker - Vote On Everything

Hi All,

A few days ago I came across a website called Ranker.  The site bills itself as a place for people to 'vote on everything'. 

What exactly is Ranker you ask? Good question, it is a leading digital media company for opinion-based, crowdsourced rankings on just about everything. They advertise that about 50 million people have generated over 300 million votes.

Okay..that all said here's the meat of the site.  They have dozens of lists (ranks) on topics like 'people', 'entertainment', 'sports', 'culture', 'channels' and 'videos'..

Typing in a phrase in the search box at the top right of the screen results in a list of results related to the search.  Lists with the most number of votes are ranked at the top of the screen.

For example, a search for 'puppies' and a list of 'The Cutest Mixed Dog Breeds' appears.   Other lists included 'Cutest Black Lab Pictures' and 'Cutest Boy Puppy Names'.  Pictures appear in each list and a brief narrative is included as well.

The number of votes that the pictures received is listed as well. 

Check out the site for some very entertaining and enlightening lists!

Enjoy the site!

Regards,
Stu










Users have the option of signing in to the site for free.

Ballotpedia.org: The Encyclopedia of American Politics

Hi All,

For those folks who are interested in politics I just learned about a website called Ballotpedia.  Click here to visit the site.  Advertised at the 'Encyclopedia of American Politics' the site has links to Elections (Ballot information, Elections Results, Election Analysis), Federal and State and Local Elections. Links to policy issues, links to 'Influencer's, and a section on Updates.

Visiting the Federal Politics link leads you to a map of the United States.  This part of the site includes Special elections to the 114th Congress, House of Representatives Elections in 2016, Senate Elections and the 2016 presidential election.

Other useful parts of the site is the Ballott Measures section.   Statewide measures, local ballott measures and unique reports can be found here. For example, local ballot measures discussed include marijuana, the minimum wage, fracking, law enforcement and more.

The 'Influencers' page is very, very insightful.  It includes 'influencers' on a national, state and local level.  Influencers are also organized by 'policy' for users to navigate more easily.

Whatever your political persuasion, there is something here for everybody on the site.  Enjoy Ballotpedia - its got unique information that is well organized, easy to find and interesting to read.

Regards,
Stu

Voting, Elections and the Electoral College

Hi All,

Well, today is the day...its time to vote...

Where do I vote you ask?  Click here to find out where you vote. 

To find out the answers to other voting questions click here.

What the heck is the electoral college?  Click here (How Stuff Works), here (Huffington Post), and here (Washington Post) to find out more about the electoral college and how it affects the vote!

How do you find out who wins the election?  Click here (Politico), here (Wall Street Journal) or here  (CNN) to get real-time information on election 2016.

Regards,
Stu

All About Voting

Hi All,

All about voting for the upcoming Presidential election!!!

Where do you vote? Click on this link from the Nassau County website.
Where do I learn about how to register to vote, change address and more.

Finally, learn more about the electoral system by clicking on this link. 

To learn more about the current Presidential election, click on this link which goes to 270 To Win...(as in 270 electoral college votes to win the election.)

270ToWin.com has lots of interactive features for the budding political scientist - you can change the map to represent if one or another candidate will win/lose a particular state...it lets you change the 'outcome' of the vote in various states to test whether or not a candidate will get the necessary 270 electoral college votes to win the election...

Regards,
Stu

Voting and Elections

Hi All,

Here's another election post - short and sweet!  Click on the links below to get the various pieces of information needed!  All your elections and voting needs are now in one place!

Decide Who to Vote For


Find Your State or Local Election Office Website

How to Vote 

Presidential Election Process

Voter Registration, Requirements, and Deadlines

Voting and Election Laws and History

Remember that the election is on Tuesday, November 8th, 2016!!!

Regards,
Stu

Politics and Facts

Hi All,

Now that election season is starting to kick into high-gear, readers might want to check the facts that various candidates are talking about.  Forthwith, two unbiased, useful, and easy-to-use sites to separate the wheat from the chaff when politicians are talking.

RealClearPolitics
The 'About' page on the RealClearPolitics page says that it is 'the trusted, non-partisan, convener in a content-rich media environment; thoughtfully curating the best coverage from every angle of the day's most critical issues. As a destination for elected officials, opinion leaders and engaged citizens, RealClearPolitics provides a platform, elevating the best-of-the-best in journalism.'

There are links to Polls, Election 2016, Video, Articles and much, much more. 

FactCheck.org
The 'About Us' page on the FactCheck.org page says that it is 'a nonpartisan, nonprofit 'consumer advocate' for voters that aims to reduce the level of deception and confusion in U.S. politics.  We monitor the factual accuracy of what is said by major U.S. political players in the form of TV ads, debates, speeches, interviews and news releases.  Our goal is to apply the best practices of both journalism and scholarship, and to increase public knowledge and understanding.'

There are links to Articles, Ask FactCheck, 2016 Elections, Viral Spiral, Archives and much, much more.  The link to 2016 Elections has a drop down menu with links to Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump. 

Enjoy the sites and the information.

Regards,
Stu

Elections, Politics and Voting

Hi All,

Just a quickie post about elections and politics. As if you don't know already that we are in an election year!  We are.

For some perspective readers might like visit this link from the Washington Post.  The article is titled, 'A handful of states will decide the next president. One candidate has the edge.'

And no, I am not endorsing one candidate over another. Especially in such an important and controversial presidential election.

However, I will link to several use friendly websites that explain the electoral system, how to register to vote in New York State and links to the Democratic National Convention and to the Republican National Convention.  Click on the various links above to arrive at the sites you chose!

Enjoy the sites and the links.

Regards,
Stu

Superdelegates, Delegates and Voting

Hi All,

The election season is well upon us - that's for sure.  And no, I'm not going to stump for one politician or another. That would probably be hazardous to my health!

However, I just read about superdelegates, delegates and the current elections.

Read on for more about superdelegates and why they are important to our election system!

Superdelegate article from AOL.com
Superdelegates from Wikipedia 
List of Democratic Party Superdelegates 

Enjoy the links - and by the way - republicans do NOT have superdelegates - read about that in the first article listed above!

Regards,
Stu

Voting and Elections

Hi All,

There is a general elections tomorrow - Tuesday, November 3rd, 2015.  Click on this link from the Nassau County Board of Elections to learn more about the voting 

Topics on the page include: How to Register to Vote,  Voting by Absentee Ballot, Voter Registration Search, Frequently Asked Questions, New Voting Machine Instructions, and more.

The link on the page that I thought would be most relevant is the Voter Registration Search page.   Only registered voters of New York State can access the information on this page.  When the user enters the last name, first name, date of birth, county and zip code on the page, the regular polling place information is found.

Users have the option to get directions from this page as well.  Also, voter district information is found. For example, election district, senate district, congressional district, war, county legislative district, assembly district and town information is given.  All in all its a very useful page for voters to look at before the election.

Finally, click on this link for books at the Farmingdale Public Library that deal with voting and elections. 

Enjoy the links and remember to vote!

Regards,
Stu 

Best of Long Island - BOLI

Hi All,

It's official...the Best of Long Island voting has started and you can vote for your favorite services in areas like: Arts and Entertainment, Automotive, Clothing, Education, Food & Drink, Health/Wellness/Beauty, Home & Garden, Nightlife & Spirits, Pets, Restaurants, Shopping, Services, Sports and Weddings.

Note that readers can click on any of the links above and you'll go directly to that part of the Long Island Press website where you can actually vote for the various service.  Voting ends on December 15th, 2013 at 11:59pm. Click on this link to visit the Long Island Press main page for the BOLI awards - you'll learn a lot about how the results are tabulated!

Click on this link for last years winners (2013).  Just in the 'Services' category alone users can find poll results for 'Accounting Firms, Dating Services, Dry Cleaners, Pawn Shops, Photography Studio's, Social Media Agencies, Travel Agencies and much, much more.

What a great way to find local businesses, services or organizations to help you with a project or job that you need to finish. And you'll be getting a winning company or organization so that, more than likely, the job or service will be finished correctly!

Enjoy the site and the voting!

Regards,
Stu

Election Day is Coming...Some Thoughts

Hi All, 

As you probably know, election day is right around the corner.  And with that thought in mind, you might want to prepare to vote.  Here are some important links for voters to use to answer a bunch of voting related questions that they might have...

Without further ado...

Enjoy the links!
Stu

When is the next election?

http://www.elections.ny.gov/

How can I see if I am registered to vote?

https://voterlookup.elections.state.ny.us/votersearch.aspx

What are the qualifications to register to vote?

http://www.elections.ny.gov/VotingRegister.html

Where can I find a Voter Registration form?

http://www.elections.ny.gov/NYSBOE/download/voting/voteform.pdf

Where can I find an Absentee ballot?

http://www.elections.ny.gov/NYSBOE/download/voting/Absentee06152010.pdf

What are the requirements to run for President?

http://www.elections.ny.gov/RunningOffice.html

Who are my United States Senators?

http://www.senate.gov/general/contact_information/senators_cfm.cfm?State=NY

Who is my United States Representative?

http://www.house.gov/representatives/find/

Who is my New York State Senator?

http://www.nysenate.gov/senators/

Who is my representative in the New York State Assembly?

http://assembly.state.ny.us/mem/

How can someone in the military vote?

http://www.fvap.gov/

When is the deadline for registering to vote?

http://www.elections.ny.gov/VotingDeadlines.html

Where may I apply in person to register to vote?

http://www.elections.ny.gov/VotingRegister.html

http://www.elections.ny.gov/CountyBoards.html

When are the polls open on Election Day?

http://www.elections.ny.gov/FAQ.html

Where do I go to vote?

https://voterlookup.elections.state.ny.us/votersearch.aspx