Now, I can only speak for my school, one public university out of many, but I can definitely back the validity of these findings based on my experiences during the 2008 Presidential Election when everyone had Obama fever. I was kind of surprised when my professors brazenly bashed Republican ideals and tooted Obama’s horn during a lecture that was supposed to be about graphing the value of x.

Despite all the propaganda, I made a conscious effort to educate myself about both candidates.  I did internet research, read books, and looked up their past political experience.  I wanted to form my own opinion, and when election day rolled around, I was well-informed on many different issues facing the country and who promised to do what about them.  After much deliberation, I voted for McCain via my absentee ballot.

I wasn’t annoyed that all of my friends voted for Obama. It’s their right. I was annoyed that they had no idea why they voted for him. When I asked them, I mostly got blank stares and shoulder shrugs. If I was lucky enough to get an actual response, it was either “because he’s young and cool!”, “because he’s black!”, or from some of my more promiscuous friends, “because he’s pro-choice!”

This study definitely made me think.  College is supposed to be a place of higher learning, but what is it really teaching us? We should become more educated and learn to think for ourselves, but is this really what happens? Are people with degrees more liberal, and if so, is college to blame?

What do you guys think?

I would now like to share with you one of my favorite blogs. It’s very simple, nothing fancy, but somehow it manages to be the most awesome thing every Monday. This magical, mysterious blog?

Isgossipgirlnewtonight.com.

Guess what it’s about? Yep, that’s it! That’s literally it. Is Gossip Girl a new episode tonight? A one word answer, yes or no, and you can continue planning your Monday night. Go ahead – check it out. I know, it’s not THAT hard to find this info out yourself, but come on, who wants to navigate the CW website and get attacked by terrifying new-90210 ads? Not I, that’s for damn sure. It’s handy, it’s clear,  it serves its purpose and nothing more. Love. It.

This delightful informative blog is not alone in it’s single-minded practicality. Oh no, check out Doineedanumbrella.com for all your immediate weather needs. And, while not exactly surprising anymore, these are still AWESOME to look at, when spirits are low: isobamapresident.com, and equally enjoyable, ismccainpresident.com.

Some may say they’re silly; I say they’re brilliant! They’re the answers to questions you silently ask yourself every morning, while you decide exactly how much effort you’re going to put into finding the answer. Maybe I love this trend because it facilitates my laziness, but you know what I say to that?  WHATEVS. (Yes, I am too lazy to say the whole word.)

This seems to be hot right now, so I’m sure you all have more that I haven’t heard of yet! Let me know, would you? My bookmarks are waiting….

Warner Bros. is going to be sued by Batman.

Calling all men! Hurry, we need your sperm!

McCain hip and cool on The Tonight Show.

Paula Abdul now has no more fans.

Fashion trends are always improving. Winter ’08 is no different.

Does Lindsay Lohan really like Obama? Or is that just a front?

Clutches are to die for. The new Bond Girl has risked her life for sexiness.

Warner Bros. is going to be sued by Batman.

Cosmo has the scoop on noteworthy sex trends.

Gmail is rocking my world, again.

Obama in the name of love.

Elizabeth Hasselbeck had to eat her McCain/Palin words.

Pretty soon, AT&T will own damn near everything, including your soul.

Military uniforms make great women’s fashion for the fall.

Ever thought Barack, Michelle, Sarah, and John would appear on TV together? Well, South Park got them together in a jewelry heist.

Boy bands are all the rage and ‘NSYNC’s Lance Bass wants in on the action.

Having lots of sex? You may need this.

California has disappointed most, especially Ellen.

Want to sing in the rain? This umbrella has you rockin’.

Sexy Scarlett Johansson to wed? Perhaps!

They’re trooping off to the polls in the biting November chill, snug in their Uggs and North Faces zipped to the collars. They’re waking up too early and standing around in long lines for something that isn’t free food. They’re American college students, and they are voting.

Smell that? That’s the smell of freedom. Also, American college students don’t shower much.

Are you with them – or are you against them? Political nihilists beware: the jaded, “The-electoral-college-it’s-a-broken-system-f**k-I’m-moving-to-the-Moon” attitude won’t get you anywhere this year, because cynicism is out and passion is in! If it’s such a big stick up your ass, go vote for Bob Barr or something. If he’s not on the ballot, write-in “John from College Candy.” But please, do go and vote.

And what about this evening? You probably don’t have anything important to do while you watch poll results stream in, and “Nation’s First Black President” or “Nation’s First Woman Vice President” are both perfectly acceptable reasons to skip all your classes tomorrow. This means you should drink!

2008 United States Presidential Election Drinking Game

(As always, replace “chug” with “shot” if that’s how you roll.)

- Drink after you vote – you’ve earned it! (Not before, please.)

- Prepare red and blue drinks (Red – Sex on the Beach and… blue? I don’t know, straight Blue Curacao?) and drink from one or the other whenever a state gets called for the respective party.

- Chug every time a “swing state” (Florida, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Colorado, Georgia) turns into a blowout for one side or the other.

- Drink every time Obama looks sassy and classy at his Chicago gala. Chug if he repeats his dance performance from his appearance on Ellen DeGeneres.

- Drink every time McCain gives anyone a thumbs-up or winks; chug if both.

- Drink any time anyone on the T.V. says “Joe;” chug if Sarah Palin says it.

- Drink whenever Tina Fey pops onto the TV, not including “30 Rock” commercials.

- Drink every time McCain styles himself an “underdog.”

- Drink every time Obama uses spiritual, religious or otherwise goofy metaphor to describe himself, his campaign or his supporters (“a mighty wind is at our backs,” for example).

- Drink every time a McCain supporter walks into the room (You’re on a college campus, they’re rare creatures)

- If you are a McCain supporter, chug whenever you get depressed about the election, which probably means “whenever results come in.” It’s going to be a long night for you, I’m afraid. You’ll probably want to forget the pain.

- If you’re an Obama supporter, meanwhile, drink and high-five someone every time you feel “pumped.”

- If you didn’t vote today, your punishment is drinking malt liquor alone in your room, a**hole.

- Drink every time a report of voter suppression rolls in. Ideally, you’re also drunk enough to stand up and start an angry chant about your god-damn f**king rights.

- Drink every time one of the candidates’ attack lawyers gets ready to sue.

- Drink every time a saccharine T.V. reporter gushes about the enormous passion of youth voters this year.

- Drink whenever someone cites the “Bradley effect” – or racism in general, for that matter.

- Drink every time you can give everyone a smarmy grin and say “Oh, yeah, I read about this on the Internet.”

- Finally, chug when we elect a new President of the United States of America! It’s history in the making – who wants to remember something like that?

So are you ready to throw down – old school American style?

That’s right, there’s nothing more patriotic than voting, except maybe voting in your authentic replica tri-corner cap with a leg amputation after a Redcoat shot you in the knee. Now, I know we’re all good patriots here, right?

So if you don’t know what you’re doing on the Fourth, here’s your quick and dirty primer.

Electioneering: Don’t Do It

Sort of like Imagineering, except that it’s against the law. Your convictions may be strong as an ancient oak and hot as a raging forest fire, but when you’re at the polls, leave the shirts, buttons, hats, g-strings and any other paraphernalia endorsing a candidate or party at home. Poll workers will require that anything with a candidate’s name, face, logo or political slogan will be either covered up or removed — and there are some things you’d probably rather be wearing while you’re in that giant mass of voting public.

Still Undecided?

Really? I don’t believe you, person who is probably a young college female. Regardless: vote Obama if you value a progressive agenda over long Congresional experience, if you’re liberal on social issues (gay marriage, reproductive rights), if you support higher taxes on the rich and lower taxes on everyone else, if you prefer diplomacy to aggression and if you don’t mind Mickey Mouse being a registered voter. Vote McCain if you prefer a guy with a long track record over a relatively untested candidate, if you’re conservative on social issues, if you support lower taxes for businesses in the interest of boosting the economy, if you prefer a hard-line stance on international issues, and if you don’t mind a dinosaur sitting in the Oval Office.

Some States To Watch

After you’ve voted, you’ll probably still be interested in watching the national results trickle in — your state, perhaps not so much, unless you live in Pennsylvania, Florida, Missouri, North Carolina, Nevada, Ohio… and so on. Battleground states are everywhere this year, as Obama puts into play states that Kerry couldn’t touch and McCain plays defense in his firewalls. In particular? If you’re looking for a McCain win, keep an eye on Florida, Missouri and Georgia — all states that McCain has a good shot of winning, but if he drops a single one, it’s doubtful he’ll be able to put his electoral majority together. Pennsylvania’s probably in the bag for Obama, but its 23 electoral votes will make it a hot potato, and the Illinois senator hasn’t sealed the deal yet. Colorado, on the other hand, won’t be much of a fight — the comfortably Bush state from 2004 is likely going to Obama this year. Check out FiveThirtyEight and RealClearPolitics for some extra info.

Those Damn Polls

Some polls show an Obama blowout, some polls show the candidates neck-and-neck and a single day of Zogby polling even showed McCain in the lead by a tiny margin — what’s the deal? This is a rough year for pollsters — almost historically so, in fact. The youth vote is huge this year, as Obama’s campaign colossus scours the Internet for enthusiastic first-time voters. What this means is that traditional polling – which takes into account previous voting behavior as an indicator of how likely one is to vote – might be missing an awful lot of new voters – who, being young, are likely to break for Obama.

Additionally, there’s the ‘cellphone effect’ – many people don’t have land lines, and so are less likely to be contacted by pollsters. These people are also more likely to be young Obama supporters, and FiveThirtyEight has an interesting summary of cell-phone inclusive against non-cell-phone inclusive polls.

And finally, there’s the “Bradley Effect”: African-American gubernatorial candidate Tom Bradley lost the 1982 California governor’s race, despite going in with a strong lead in the polls. The supposed explanation? Some Americans respond with the socially acceptable answer in polls – i.e., they’re fine with voting for a black candidate – but when they get into the voting booth, they’re less likely to feel pressured into political correctness. Will it deflate Obama’s lead, or will his other potential edges make this election a true blowout? Only Tuesday will tell.

Personally, I can’t believe that this two-year marathon is finally drawing to a close – how the hell will I put off my classwork?

Cindy Crawford isn’t too bad, either.

Celebrities dress up in slutty Halloween costumes too!

Try a new look: the romantic up-do.

Chase Crawford has some crazy brows.

Joe Biden’s teeth are freaking us out.

A college blogger’s look at the pros of both Obama and McCain.

Why are people saying that Will Smith is gay?

Another celebrity proves they are above the law. Way to go, Britney!

Forget The Hills. Get a sneak peak at Whitney Port and The City.

The government is listening (and enjoying) your phone sex.

Pasta fork…or weapon?

Nipple Covers: Every girl needs em.

Johnny Depp is kinda weird…

Brad Pitt. OMG. So. effing. hot.

The perfect going-out-look for a crisp night.

Did Family Guy go too far?

So, The Hills is fake. I mean, we knew it, but we didn’t want to know it

Seriously – does Tara Reid work?

Ellen and Portia might be the cutest couple ever.

Oooo. A JoBro was spotted doin’ a little smoochy, smoochy.

Is Will Arnett getting another show!?

How many calories are you burning during sex? Find out! 

Madonna is dressed to kill…literally

Bush hates pirates

Getting sick in college for dummies

McCain doesn’t roll on Shabbos

Don’t worry!! She’s still a size 0!!

Who’s got a hate-on for Tom Brady?

Angelina teaches kids to play with knives

Marcia was a ho — and other secrets

Why don’t know why she’s famous either

Miley has lived such a full life…

An America by any other name would just be Georgina

Natalie Portman will ALWAYS be better than you

Troubs for Sam and LiLo?!

Audrina poses in a bikini to stay famous