For anybody who caught the debates last night, you'll remember that John McCain kept goshdarning about an overhead projector in a planetarium in Chicago that Barack Obama agreed to fund. And not just any projector, but a really sweet overhead projector at the Adler Planetarium.
A quick reference of the website shows the kind of thing the projector is used for -- Planetarium shows starring Big Bird and Elmo that teach children about outer-space while helping kids develop an appreciation for other cultures through foreign puppets, such as the Chinese Hu Hu Zhu. 
- link:// Adler Planetarium
comments
I think Obama should have spent a minute during the Town Meeting explaining his motive for spending that sort of money on a projector especially if it included Sesame Street. An invaluable learning source for children.
The Adler Planatarium has been educating children and adults for years. I am a Chicagoan and it is a spectacular place to explore. It promps children to learn about space and infinity.
I am sure Obama had no choice in the price of the projector. It isn't just any old projector, I am sure. Unfortunately, all of these technologies are expensive.
I know that his motives were good.
I will vote for Obama over McCain any day.
by:// Matelasse - Oct 8th 2008
It isn't an "overhead projector," it's the replacement of a 39-year-old Zeiss optical planetarium projector for the Sky Dome at the Adler Planetarium-- the first planetarium in the Western hemisphere, and a national historic landmark. Comparing this expensive and complex precision instrument to an overhead projector is deliberately misleading, and moreover the opposition to this speaks of ill tidings for all manner of scientific and educational programs should McCain take office. Not a good thing, considering our children's declining global competitiveness in science and mathematics.
Text describing the projector funding in question, from the Obama-Biden website:
http://answercenter.barackobama.com/cgi-bin/barackobama.cfg/php/enduser/std_adp.php?p_faqid=172&p_created=1205426026&p_sid=TNlxoC-i&p_accessibility=0&p_redirect=&p_lva=&p_sp=cF9zcmNoPTEmcF9zb3J0X2J5PSZwX2dyaWRzb3J0PSZwX3Jvd19jbnQ9MSwxJnBfcHJvZHM9JnBfY2F0cz
Story about the misleading statement by McCain:
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/chi-fact-check08oct08,0,869491.story
Wikipedia article on Zeiss projectors:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zeiss_projector
by:// Scott - Oct 8th 2008
hey scott,
sorry for the confusion. "really sweet projector", in this instance, is as a synonym for sky dome.
thanks!
jake
by:// jake - Oct 8th 2008
Oh, yeah, I was saying McCain was being misleading- not this blog post, which is lulz.
by:// Scott - Oct 8th 2008
McCain mispoke and needs to get his facts straight.
by:// dvd12743 - Oct 17th 2008