You can choose which topics you’re interested in by distributing 20 points among 14 categories. I gave one point to each category then bumped up a few areas where I feel strongest. It then gives you a set of questions based on those topics.

Once you’ve answered them, it ranks the Presidential candidates in order of similarity. You can go right into each question and see how each of the candidates would answer each question, with all kinds of quotes, voting records and suchlike to back it up.

Of course, it’s not very fair for me to be waxing lyrical about American politics. I have never set foot in the country, and chances are I could have different views on American political issues if I actually lived there. A lot of these are very US-centric questions rather than the big ideological picture.

Still, it is interesting to learn a bit more about the candidates. The names we all see are Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton, Ron Paul and Rudy Giuliani. Sometimes John McCain. It’s not often you hear of any of the others. But it’s important to learn about them.

I remember at around this stage of the last US Presidential election we were discussing the Democratic candidates in our modern studies class. Trying to work out which of the candidates were the most important, our teacher immediately scored off John Kerry because he was a no-hoper! (In retrospect, she was actually probably right.)

Anyway, the quiz. The candidate who comes out as most similar to me is someone I’ve never heard of before — Mike Gravel. We are 81% similar, with very similar views on drugs, civil liberties, gay rights, crime and punishment, abortion, environment and immigration. But we have dissimilar views on social security and economics.

Second is someone else I’ve never heard of — Christopher Dodd, with 75%. We are different on social security and very different on economics. Dennis Kucinich also has 75%, but we disagree on taxes and budget, social security and economics.

Of the big guns, Barack Obama is fourth with 74% (different on taxes and budget, social security and very different on crime and punishment (Obama supports the death penalty)). Hillary Clinton is 66% similar (different views on taxes and budget, drugs, social security and very different on crime and punishment).

All of the Democratic candidates score more highly than the Republican candidates. The top Republican candidate for me is Ron Paul — 9^th with 61%. We have very similar views on drugs, civil liberties and crime and punishment, but very different views on immigration, health care and abortion.

Rudy Giuliani only comes out 13^th with 47%. We have very similar views on environment and gun control, but very different views on gay rights, Iraq and foreign policy, health care, civil liberties, drugs and crime and punishment.

My least similar is my namesake, Duncan Hunter. We are only 30% similar, with similar views on social security (and even that is only because neither of us has an opinion on it).

Via Blah Blah Flowers.

Shuggy poses one of his Higher Modern Studies horror questions:

“There are too many cat-lovers in the blogosphere.”

Not just the blogosphere. Everywhere. I know this is a controversial issue. But I really don’t understand why so many people like cats. They are pure evil. Full stop.

And I am not even saying this from the perspective of a dog-lover. Apparently if you don’t like cats it’s because you must like dogs instead. Well I don’t have a dog (although we occasionally look after the neighbour’s dog). But I still know that cats are devil animals.

The thing that really gets my goat about cats is the way they seem to think they rule the world. I mean, if you’re sitting on the sofa, the cat will come in and look at you as if to say, “what are you doing sitting on my sofa?” Then it will do one of two things:

1. Turn its head up and go in a huff
2. Scratch your bollocks off

What kind of a pet is that? Cats walk around the place with their tail sticking up in the air, walking around like they’re the kings of the house. If a human being did that you would think he was an arrogant wanker. So why do people tolerate it in cats?

Also, cats are turncoats. A cat will move house if the owner can provide it with a warmer fire and a tastier flavour of Whiskas. I’m no fan of dogs, but they at least have an upper hand in this regard. Ask yourself this: have you ever seen a cat with a homeless person? Exactly.

Meanwhile, dogs with homeless people are almost as common as homeless people themselves. Whoever coined the term “man’s best friend” got it right. At least dogs are loyal. Cats are just selfish arseholes who bring absolutely no joy to the world.

Flying Rodent is spot on:

If you ask me, the most notable skill cats possess is their ability to slash up their owners like razor-wielding ratboys and still have them dote on their every whim.