S. Dakota Senator in Critical ConditionFuture of Democratic Control of Senate Uncertain

Reported in the Washington Post this morning, Democratic Senator Tim Johnson of South Dakota is in critical condition this morning after undergoing an emergency surgical procedure to

Johnson, 59, who is in the critical care unit at George Washington University Hospital, fell ill at the Capitol yesterday, introducing a note of uncertainty over control of the Senate just weeks before Democrats are to take over with a one-vote margin.

If Sen. Johnson doesn't recover. or is unfit to hold office, the Republican Governor of South Dakota. Michael Rounds, will appoint his replacement. It's assumed that Rounds would would appoint a Republican. With the narrow majority in the Senate for the 110th Congress currently going to the Democrats at 51 to 49 (including the independents who said they would caucus with the Democrats) this would cause a 50/50 split broken by Vice President Dick Cheney.

Craig's (anti-capital) list

I have to admit I couldn't quite wipe the smirk off my face while reading this article in the New York Times: Craigslist Meets the Capitalists.

Appearing at the UBS global media conference in New York, Mr. Buckmaster took questions from the bemused audience, which apparently could not get its collective mind around the notion that Craigslist exists to help Web users find jobs, cars, apartments and dates — and not so much to make money.

Maybe it's just a happy fiction that will evaporate the next time a group of investment bankers backs a dump truck full of money up to the Criag Newmark's house, but I'll take it. This is a world I believe in.

For furhter reading, check out this post on the Art and Architecture of Craigslist.

Wednesday Morning Brings Democrats and Yet More Waiting

It was too much to hope that when U.S. citizens woke up this morning to go to work, we would have elections results waiting in our inboxes. Official news outlets like the Associated Press and the New York Times are handing the U.S. House of Representatives to the Democrats under the leadership of Nancy Pelosi (D-CA). From the look of it, the House victory was decisive. The democrats needed 16 seats and they've picked up nearly twice that. The Senate still hangs on close races in Virginia and Montana this morning.

Latest Links: Voting 2

Diebold Voting Machines Jam in Vista
Two Diebold voting machines in Vista experienced paper jams on the already controversial computerized format that has been challenged on local, regional and national levels.
"What happend today in Vista is an example of the continued erosion of our democracy," said Fredia Avalos, a communication lecturer at Cal State San
Marcos. Vista filmaker Mark Day commented "I ended up voting twice. Those machines make a lot of racket and sound like an old harvesting machine. The whole thing is very scary."

The San Diego Independent Media Center

Klobuchar wins
Democrat Amy Klobuchar sailed to an easy victory in the U.S. Senate race Tuesday, capitalizing on voter anger over the Iraq war to become Minnesota's first elected female senator.
Klobuchar, the elected prosecutor of Hennepin County, kept an important post in Democratic hands by beating Mark Kennedy, a three-term Republican congressman from west of the Twin Cities.
Klobuchar's win was based on a statistical analysis of the vote from voter interviews conducted for The Associated Press by Edison Media Research and Mitosfky International.

StarTribune.com

Doyle wins in Wisconsin governor's race
Wisconsin Gov. Jim Doyle, a Democrat, won a tough reelection race Tuesday over U.S. Rep. Mark Green, a Republican who focused on state spending and property taxes.
In the U.S. Senate race, Democratic incumbent Herb Kohl easily defeated Robert Gerald Lorge, a Republican lawyer from Bear Creek.
Kohl, who used to run his family's grocery and department stores and now owns the Milwaukee Bucks, has served three terms in the Senate.
Wisconsin voters also approved Tuesday a constitutional amendment that defines marriage as a union between a man and a woman. Similar measures banning same-sex civil

StarTribune.com

Mapping the Movement: California

Immigrants turn out to vote in California, spurred by tech-saavy and traditional registration drives, voter guides and rights cards from Mobilize the Immigrant Vote 2006.

news.newamericamedia.org

Mapping the Movement: Washington
Heavy rain falls on election day. Shankar Narayan, director of the Hate Free Zone, hopes it won't keep away the 11,000 immigrant voters it's registered through canvassing and phone banking.

news.newamericamedia.org

La Nueva Cara del Votante: Jóven y Latino

Los jóvenes latinos en San Diego conformaron más de la mitad del crecimiento del electorado latino del condado.

news.newamericamedia.org

Black voters a poll factor
While incumbent Republican Gov. Bob Riley has a comfortable lead in polls over Democratic Lt. Gov. Lucy Baxley, political observers say the outcome of other races could depend on how many voters turn out, particularly black voters.

Stateline.org RSS

FBI looks into voter intimidation
The FBI is looking into possible voter intimidation in Virginia's hard-fought U.S. Senate contest between Republican incumbent George Allen and Democrat Jim Webb.

Stateline.org RSS

Latest Links: Minimum Wage

Propositions split 26th Dist. House, Senate hopefuls
From raising the minimum wage to smoking bans, candidates for District 26's House and Senate seats disagree over which propositions would most help Arizonans.

Stateline.org

Sixth District: Stances on issues not detailed in ads
State Sen. Michele Bachmann isn't sure the United States should remain part of the United Nations. She questions whether there should be a minimum wage law, and she is skeptical that global warming is occurring.
Her opponent, child safety advocate Patty Wetterling, favors abortion rights. She opposes congressional efforts to ban the late-term abortion procedure that opponents call "partial birth abortion" unless they include an exception for cases involving the health of the mother. And she has opposed mandatory parental notification before a minor can obtain an abortion. She opposes the deat

StarTribune.com

Rendell touts wage hike during Penn State visit
In front of a room full of college students, Gov. Ed Rendell touted proposals on renewable energy and his record on job growth. But he received his warmest reception on a topic that hit close to home: the $5.15 minimum wage.

Stateline.org

Min wage, max fight
Business groups opposed to increasing Colorado's minimum wage have raised $1.2 million and plan to spend every dime fighting the ballot initiative, said Jan Rigg, spokeswoman for Respect Our Constitution, a group that is fighting the proposal.

Stateline.org

Pot, slots and doves - a look at the year's quirkier ballot questions
Stem cell research, taxation and budgetary matters, and proposals to raise the minimum wage are leading the pack when it comes to national issues that are appearing as voter initiatives or referendums on states' ballots Nov. 7. But there are ballot measures on other, esoteric issues across the nation.

Stateline.org

Wage hike would benefit economy, study indicates

On November 7, voters in six states--Arizona, Colorado, Missouri, Montana, Nevada, and Ohio--will vote on ballot measures that would raise the minimum wage in their home states. While recent polls show voters overwhelmingly support increasing their state’s minimum wage, a new study by the Washington, D.C.–based Economic Policy Institute proves that such initiatives would indeed help the economy, particularly for minimum-wage earners and their families.

Twin Cities Daily Planet

Minimum wage trends
Source: Economic Policy Institute
“There is a growing view among economists that the minimum wage offers substantial benefits to low-wage workers without negative effect. Although there are still dissenters, the best recent research has shown that the job loss reported in earlier analyses does not, in fact, occur when the minimum wage is increased.”

Docuticker

Opponents say minimum wage idea would hurt Missouri, but supporters question data
Missouri voters should reject a proposed state minimum wage increase and seek legislative changes instead, opponents said Tuesday afternoon.

Stateline.org

Latest Links: Marriage Discrimination

Marriage amendment makes quiet appearance
Depending on which side is speaking, State Amendment 1 on the Nov. 7 election ballot -- a state constitutional ban on same-sex marriage -- either protects marriage or discriminates against some families. But supporters and opponents agree on two points: It's been a really quiet campaign and the voting public will make the final decision.

Stateline.org

Absentee ballots hint at a higher voter turnout
A hotly contested Senate race and an amendment on marriage have led tens of thousands of voters statewide to request absentee ballots before next week's election, an indicator that turnout could be abnormally high on Election Day.

Stateline.org

Faith, law and gay marriage
Faith and love-they represent human potential for goodness. Except when they're on a voting ballot. Then they create ugly, divisive, angry politics.

Stateline.org

Marriage question captivates students
Ask the typical college student in Wisconsin who is running for governor, and you may get a blank stare. Ask about the marriage amendment, and the response is sure to be animated.

Stateline.org

Marriage Amendment: South Dakota
A new poll suggests that South Dakota might be the first state to reject an amendment to ban domestic partnerships, civil unions, and same-sex marriage by popular vote. The poll shows 47% voting no, 46% voting yes, and 7% undecided....

Eleventh Avenue South

Thursday Edition: Divorce as a Marketing Tool
The other night, my wife and I were watching TV and saw a Ford ad that seemed to be about a divorced couple and their kids.
The father jumps out of a Ford Freestyle, hugs his kids and tells his ex, "Thanks for inviting me this weekend." She says a sort of sad "sure." She appears as though she could say a lot more -- something like, "If you had kept your paws off the secretary, you could be riding home in this cool new car with us." He promises his kids he will see them next weekend, waves and watches the car drive off.
I could barely believe my eyes. My wife, a marriage and family therapist, said the ad was "affirming."

Al's Morning Meeting

An Extra Month of Daylight Next Year

When Bush signed the Energy Policy Act of 2005 he gave kids and people who work a typical 9 to 5 schedule here in the U.S. 2 extra weeks of daylight on either end of Daylight Saving Time. Starting in 2007 DST will begin on the second Sunday of March and end the first Sunday of November.

So, mark the calendar. March 11, 2007 spring forward. November 4, 2007 fall back.

This juggling of the American circadian rhythm is supposed to curb energy spending by about 1%, or the "equivalent to roughly a hundred thousand barrels of oil daily over the two months" according to a Department of Transportation report from 1975. Linda Lawson, the acting deputy assistant secretary for transportation policy, gives this caveat

"There have been dramatic changes in lifestyle and commerce since we completed our studies that raise serious questions about extrapolating conclusions from our studies into today's world."

Whether the U.S. saves some money, or just really annoys everyone in the country remains to be seen. However, Congress has the discretion to scrap the idea and go back to the typical DST schedule if the savings don't add up.

US 53rd in World Press Freedom Index

Despite the promises of freedom of the press made by the United States in the first amendment to the Constitution, the country continues to sink from it's initial 17th place as the Bush administration continues to use its "war on terror" as a means of grinding journalists under its boot heel. This year the US finds itself languishing at 53rd along with Botswana, Croatia and Tonga far behind Bosnia and Herzegovina (19th) and Namibia (26). This is according to the Worldwide Press Freedom Index published by Reporters Without Borders.

The report sites these incidents as specific examples of how the Bush administration has attacked the freedom of the press:

Freelance journalist and blogger Josh Wolf was imprisoned when he refused to hand over his video archives. Sudanese cameraman Sami al-Haj, who works for the pan-Arab broadcaster Al-Jazeera, has been held without trial since June 2002 at the US military base at Guantanamo, and Associated Press photographer Bilal Hussein has been held by US authorities in Iraq since April this year.

According to the report the top countries are Finland, Ireland, Iceland and the Netherlands, which all share first place.

Dungeons & Dragons Geeks Rejoice!: Invisibility Cloak Invented

OK, the thing only works if you can see microwaves, and if you're looking at something really, really small, but still. It's invisible! The BBC wrote an article on it here. If you would like more in depth coverage of the device and how it works, then NewScientistTech has got you covered. Here is a brief excerpt.

In recent years, materials scientists have made rapid progress in making so-called "metamaterials", which can have exotic electromagnetic properties unseen in nature. These are made up of repeating structures of simple electronic components such as capacitors and inductors.

In 2001, Smith built a metamaterial with a negative refractive index, which bends microwaves in a way impossible for ordinary lenses. Now he has gone one step further.

Of course, my internal pessimist wonders what the military applications of this are going to be. True stealth bombers? Surveilance robots? I shudder to think.

And the Stingrays Shall Inherit the Earth

OK, now I'm starting to wonder as the BBC reports this

A US man has been stabbed in the chest by a stingray which leapt on board his boat in Florida.
US officials say they are shocked at the attack on Mr Bertakis.

And scientists continue to say that these sorts of attacks are extremely rare. Tell that to Steve Irwin's family. Well, you can bet I'm going to watch out for those wily predators of the deep if I ever go snokrling.

Questioning the Narrative of the Gay Bar

A great local blog I enjoy reading that covers news and politics of interest to the GLBTQI community in Minnesota posted this entry today:

Lavender Magazine has an article about Over the Rainbow's closing. One of the owners, Charmaigne Wood, has a great quote about supporting the community through GLBT owned bars:

We remind all GLBT people to support your home bars: your homo bars. GLBT bars are not a community service—they are businesses, and rely on revenues. Owners of GLBT bars are taking a stand, politically and personally. Support that. No one wants to be in the position of ‘you don’t know what you’ve got until it’s gone. Gay bars are important socially and politically. They’re where we are most comfortable, most accepted. They’re where we find common cause, politically and emotionally...Until we are accepted in the larger society, until we can marry, until we have adoption rights, until we are not outsiders, we need these gathering places. GLBT bars are where we can be totally who we are. As diverse as the GLBT community is, the one thing we have in common is a need to belong. GLBT bars allow us to belong. Be there!

I responded to it and thought I would copy my response here:

While I agree with Woods’ main points, that it's important to support GLBTQI businesses and that safe spaces are important both emotionally and politically for us, I disagree with the strong bias toward bars as places ”where we are most comfortable, most accepted.” This certainly hasn’t been my experience with gay bars. I’ve had fun at bars, I’ve been depressed at bars, heck I’ve even been drunk at bars, but ultimately it’s the people you’re with that can make the place comfortable and comforting. I can be with my friends nearly anywhere.

I wonder, are gay bars and bar owners serving our best interests? Or the best interests of the community? After all, bars are businesses as Woods asserts, and they are in the business of selling alcohol. Now, don’t get me wrong, I love a good gin and tonic, black Russian or vodka martini as much as the next guy. And I certainly don’t want to imply that Woods or any other gay bar owner in the Twin Cities is taking advantage of us. I honestly believe they care for their fellow queers and want to support all of us. But it’s important to remember that alcoholism is a problem within our community that has come under a lot of scrutiny lately. I think this can only be exacerbated when our fun pastimes become the way by which others identify us. Especially as businesses vie for control of the “pink dollar” and start co-branding with us.

Do we want Absolut, Miller, and Coors, sponsoring our parties? Is that the yardstick by which we ought to be judging our acceptance within the mainstream, straight world? Or our acceptance of ourselves? Rather than looking to gay bars to incubate us and insulate us, I think we should be questioning the community’s relationship to alcohol and also to other communities. We should be asking ourselves why aren’t neighborhood associations, PTA meetings, hiking groups and workplaces not considered “our spaces”?

Is That All Ya Got? - CSIS Takes a Stab at Meaning of N. Korean Test

Unwilling to say for sure whether they believe North Korea has even tested an atomic bomb, The Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington DC released a report today that explores the ramifications and possible meanings of the alleged blast.

So far, the only source attempting to establish a yield seems be Park Chang-soo, spokesman at the Korea Institute of Geoscience and Mineral Resources, a state-run South Korean geological institute, which AP says stated that the magnitude of the tremor could indicate the test was equivalent to the force of 550 tons of TNT.
It is far from clear that this is a reliable source, and statements referring to a "550 ton" yield seems too precise and too early in calling for such a small yield to allow immediate verification.

It should be noted that the weapon the United States dropped on Hiroshima, Japan on Aug. 6, 1945, was equivalent to 11,000- 15,000 tons of TNT.

It goes on to report that it is possible this was a test of "material that is highly enriched but short of true weapons grade."

In my previous post, I wondered at the implications for our upcoming elections here in the US. The CSIS report also speculates on this possibility.

North Korea Makes Monday Morning Worse

As though it weren't bad enough that millions of people around the world have to get up early this Monday, put the freedom and relaxation of the weekend behind them, and place noses against grindstones. Now, it appears as though the world "will be entering a new, dangerous nuclear age," according to Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. Would you like your coffee with a splash of paranoia and uncertainty?

This morning the United States Geological Survey recorded a magnitude 4.2 earthquake about 40 miles north of Kimchaek, North Korea. The official Korean Central News Agency announced that the nuclear test that caused the earthquake "was conducted with indigenous wisdom and technology, 100 percent." Not only a literaly earth-shaking event, but leaders from all over are shaking with barely contained outrage that North Korea would be so bold as to continue nuclear testing after they've all politely (or not so politely) asked it not to. North Korea joins the vaunted ranks of the United States, Russia, France, China, Britain, India and Pakistan, countries that all possesses nuclear technology. Welcome, folks.

According to Japan's Manichi Daily News,

"North Korea is believed to have used plutonium from its Yongbyon reactor. North Korea started operating Yongbyon in January 1986 and began developing nuclear weapons. From 1989, it began reprocessing nuclear rods, producing about 6 to 12 kilos of plutonium, or enough for one to two nuclear weapons.

An agreement with the United States in October 1994 shut down Yongbyong, but North Korea announced in 2003 that it had pulled out of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT). It started up Yongbyong once again, removing 8,000 rods for re-processing into plutonium at different stages in October 2003 and again in March 2005."

Now, it remains to be seen whether this swings U.S. voters back to the Republicans. The GOP has consistently tried to link its candidates with security while painting the Democrats as lax on that front. However, recently the Mark Foley scandal convinced many that the Republican Party is not the party of values they thought it was. Will even an atomic blast be able to muffle the cries of "think of the children!" issuing from the nation's heartland?

Billing US Taxpayers for the Iraq War - How much are you paying?

If you had an extra $3,000 how would you spend it? A vacation for you and a loved one? A down payment on a reasonably priced used car? How about a pair of M-16s? The National Priorties Project has calculated the costs of the Iraq war per taxpayer and broken that down into a helpful map to illustrate. Residents in Minneapolis, Minnesota have funded the war to the tune of nearly $570 million dollars. Unfortunately, the numbers just keep rising.

Of course, this isn't the true cost of war. Most would agree that the loss of life far outstrips the amount of money paid by US taxpayers, even as wages stagnate in a slowing economy. For that we have to look at, in part, the American dead and wounded and Iraq civilians.